These potent, pea-sized peppers are the only wild chile native to the US. They are sometimes referred to as the “mother of all peppers.” Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum is a variety of Capsicum annuum that is native to the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. This pepper is difficult to cultivate and is usually harvested from wild stands. In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado ("rapid" or "violent"), because, while the heat is intense, it is not very enduring. Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin can potentially be hotter than the habañero or Red Savina, supported with the numbers reported from Craig Dremann's Pepper Hotness Test scores.

 

The chiltepin pepper itself is loaded with healthy nutrients including amino acids such as arginine, glycine, lysine, threonine and cystine. Vitamins A, B, B6, C,E and K are present in trace amounts. One-fourth of the weight of the pepper is fiber. Minerals include copper, iron, zinc and magnesium. The pea-sized berries (peppers) also contain anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents which act as natural preservatives and may act to combat infection. All in all, the little chiltepin could be called a miracle addition to the normal daily diet.

 

In recent years the wild chiltepin harvest has been stressed by cold winters and drought conditions and production has often been a fraction of normal. Because of scarcity the chiltepin is garnering the nickname, “Red Gold” with market prices to match. Despite this, we have secured an excellent source of wild harvested peppers from Sonora, and we are pleased to be able to share some of this bounty by selling bulk chiltepin online.