Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum

Chiltepin
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Asteridae
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Capsicum
Species:	C. annuum
Subspecies:	C. a. var. glabriusculum
Trinomial name
Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum (Dunal) Heiser and Pickersgill

Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum
Heat	Very Hot (SR: 50,000-100,000)

Chiltepin, also called chiltepe or chile tepin , is a wild chile pepper that grows primarily in Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. It is sometimes called the "mother of all peppers" because it is thought to be the oldest of the Capsicum annuum species.

The Wild Chile Botanical Area in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona, has the largest population of chiltepin chile peppers in the United States. In 1997, Texans named the Tepin "the official native pepper of Texas", two years after making the Jalapeño Texas' official pepper.

Tepin peppers, or “bird’s eye” peppers, are supposedly one of the hottest peppers in the world. Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin is hotter than the habanero or Red Savina. These tiny peppers are about 3/8″ in diameter, round to slightly oval, and are found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as Mexico and Central America. The word “Tepin” comes from a Nahuatl word meaning “flea”.

Tepins are extremely hot, measuring between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units. In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado (”rapid” or “violent”), because, while the heat is intense, it is not very enduring. This stands in contrast to the Chili Piquin, which is somewhat similar in size and shape to the Chiltepin, but delivers a decidedly different experience. Piquins are not as hot as Chiltepins (only about 30,000-50,000 Scoville Units), but they have a much slower and longer-lasting effect.

External links

• Chiltepin Chili at Slow Foods