The chiles › Habanero
C. chinense
Habanero
hotFresh
100,000-350,000 SHU
Origin
Amazon basin; popular in the Caribbean and Yucatán.
Uses
The star of the Yucatán salsa xnipec ("dog's nose"), of cochinita pibil marinades and of countless fresh and fermented sauces. A single slice is enough to set a guacamole or an aguachile alight.
About this chile
Intense fruity aroma and a heat that lingers for hours. For decades it was, by a wide margin, the hottest chilli anyone could easily get hold of, until the superhots arrived. In Yucatán it is the undisputed king: it gives name and character to salsa xnipec, whose Maya name literally means "dog's nose", for how runny it leaves yours. Despite its reputation for pure fire, its real charm is its tropical perfume, almost passion-fruit.