I generally love spicy food and I enjoy experimenting with the use of
different spices. I was recently invited to participate in a cooking show on GreekTV and I was asked to prepare something summery, so I decided to present a more
Mediterranean version of ceviche, a popular Latin American dish with its
origins in Peru. One of the main ingredients in ceviche is spicy chili peppers
and that’s how I started reading about chilies. Chilies can be added in almost
any dish, desserts, tea blends, even cocktails and apart from that they are
very beneficial for our health. All I read was so interesting that I really
feel I must share some of the information I gathered!
The chili pepper is a fruit
of the Capsicum genus and a member of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade, family,
which includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and tobacco. Chilies were
originated in America and have been a
part of the human diet (in the Americas) since at least 7500 BC. There is
archaeological evidence at sites located in southwestern Ecuador that the chili
peppers were domesticated more than 6000 years ago.
From Mexico, which at the
time was a Spanish colony that controlled commerce with Asia, chili peppers
spread rapidly into the Philippines and then to India, China, Indonesia, Korea
and Japan and were gradually incorporated into the local cuisines.
Upon their introduction
into Europe chilies were grown as botanical curiosities in the gardens of
Spanish and Portuguese monasteries. But the monks experimented with the chilies'
culinary potential and discovered that their pungency offered a substitute for
black peppercorns, which at the time were so costly that they were used as
legal currency in some countries!!!
Chilies spread across the
world and were used in both food and medicine. They can be used fresh or dried or
they can be powdered (after they have been dried) (i.e. Cayenne pepper). They
make a wonderful oil (chili oil) that is widely used in Italian cuisine
(peperoncini oil) and is a great pizza topper, can be used in salad dressings
or pasta dishes etc. Alternatively,
chilies can be tinctured for medicinal purposes. Diego Alvarez Chanca, a
physician on Columbus' second voyage to the West Indies in 1493, brought the
first chili peppers to Spain, and first wrote about their medicinal effects in
1494.
Chili peppers are high in
Vitamins A, C, B complex, calcium and potassium. They work as a wonderful
healing aid for the digestive system since it acts as a catalyst and increases
the effectiveness of other foods and herbs when used with them. It is also very
healing for the heart and circulatory system. Studies have shown that they can
rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines.
…And the spicier the chili
the more beneficial it is for our health!!!
Here I have listed some of the most important benefits and medicinal
uses of chilies:
o
They
fight headaches and migraines.
o
They
help us build up our immune system.
o
They
stimulate digestion and help the absorption of food nutrients and herbs (that’s
why it is a good idea to add it in herbal teas).
o
They
stimulate circulation and blood flow (especially good for cold feet and hands).
o
They
aid in clearing mucus from the nose, combating nasal congestion and contain
antibacterial properties that help fight chronic sinus infections.
o
They
cause sweating and, as a result, help reduce fevers and relieve us from cold
and flu symptoms.
o
They
fight prostate cancer and leukemia.
o
They
stimulate fat burning and aid in weight loss.
o
They
work against high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels.
o
They
are beneficial for the heart (even in cases of mild heart attacks or a simple arrhythmia
it is very helpful to drink a warm chili
tea).
o
They are excellent medicine for the lungs as
they act as decongestants and have also been found to protect the lung tissue.
o
They can be used externally as
a pain-relieving muscle rub and joint liniment. (The source of the heat is
capsaicin, the fiery phenolic resin found in most hot peppers. Capsaicin causes
nerve endings to release a chemical known as substance P. Substance P transmits
pain signals from the body back to the brain.)
o
They stop internal bleeding
(when drunk as a tea).
o
They work against allergies.
o
They can be used for the
treatment of arthritis, bursitis, and for temporary relief of pain from
psoriasis, herpes zoster, and neuralgia (these treatments are most appropriate
for long-standing chronic conditions and not acute inflammations).
And a list of warnings:
o
Be
careful not to touch your eyes after you’ve chopped a spicy chili or you will
suffer!! (But after a while the irritation will eventually go away). The same
applies for open wounds or broken skin.
o
Placed
directly on the skin, chilies (fresh or powdered) can cause burns and even
blisters, so it is best to be diluted in oil before placing it on the skin, or you
can mix it with flour and water until it forms a paste.
o
Use
small, cautious doses only
o
Do
not use cayenne in cases of high fever (40 degrees Celsius / 104 degrees
Fahrenheit or above).
o
They are not recommended for use by
individuals who have rapid heart rates or who become overheated or perspire
easily. In addition, they should be avoided by people who suffer from asthma and
gastrointestinal irritation or inflammation, except under the supervision of an
experienced herbalist.
o
When
cooking or making medicines with cayenne peppers, you must take into account
the widely varying intensities (heat) of different peppers -- from very mild to
extremely fiery. The world's hottest chili pepper is the Trinidad Scorpion
Butch T pepper.
See the table below for a more in depth
analysis of nutrients:
Nutritional value per 100 gr. (in % of Recommended daily allowance)
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
Nutritional value per 100 gr. (in % of Recommended daily allowance)
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
Resources: Wikipedia, tlchowstuffworks, chilipeppermadness
No comments:
Post a Comment