Re: [CH] naming conventions
Michael Bailes (frgntgar@ozemail.com.au)
Wed, 21 Jan 1998 20:29:33 +1100
At 8:45 AM -0400 20-1-98, Mary Going wrote:
>Recently, I changed my signature to say "Absolutely Everything About Chile
>Peppers." Someone wrote to me and said "chile" and "peppers" is redundant,
>so I changed it to "Absolutely Everything About Hot Chiles." Now, someone
>wants to know what a chile is. She asks the difference between a chile and
>a pepper... I think both questions are interesting. So,
>
>What is the difference between a chile and a pepper?
>Can a bell pepper be called a chile?
>If not, where is the line drawn?
>Are chiles always hot?
>What is a chile?
The terminology is a mess thanks mostly to Chris Columbus
The word pepper we are stuck with because Chris had to justify his failed
trip to the Indies (to find Pepper- Piper nigrum) somehow.
His finacial backers would have given him The-Cement?- Shoes otherwise
A pepper is often a not-hot capsicum. In Australia they are generrally
called capsicums. They are mosly large square shaped fruit.
A chili (or here a chilli) is mostly a capsicum with some heat.
Heat can be very low so the borderline becomes a little blurred.
personally I prefer Chilli Pepper when refering to Hot Chillies and
Capsicums when refering to non hot peppers.
There are a number of chilli books (see dewitt or bailes) that discuss
terminology problems in detail.
I have found similar terminology problems when advertising our Chilli festival.
Everone expects it to be a chill-mixed with-beans-and-served
in-a-bowl-cookoff.
There wont be a bean near the place.
Michael Bailes, The Fragrant Garden, Portsmouth Road, Erina. N.S.W. 2250
Australia. (OZ) Int fax 61 243 651979 Phone 61 243 677322
EMAIL: frgntgar@ozemail.com.au Web page at:
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~frgntgar/
1998 Chilli Festival 8/9 March.
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~frgntgar/chili/festival1998.html
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