Chili peppers

The fruit of the plants in the "Capsicum" genus, used fresh, dried or pickled. It originated in the Americas, but is currently grown worldwide and used in a variety of cuisines such as Mexican, Middle Eastern, Korean, Bhutanese and Thai. It contains capsaicin which gives it its intensity, measured in Scoville heat units. There are a number of different species such as the Cayenne and Jalapeno, with both culinary and medicinal uses. It is generally thin and long and changes colour from green to red as it matures.