[CH] Heatless Primavera
H0T5AUCE@aol.com
Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:56:00 EDT
This little brief moved on the wire at the paper I work at. I thought all of
you might enjoy a quick read:
DALLAS (AP) -- Although some like it hot, others prefer it mild. For
those folks, a new Mexican salsa is available offering a spiceless chili
pepper.
The genetically enhanced Primavera pepper packs only one-tenth the heat
of a regular jalapeno. So diners don't have to break into a sweat to
enjoy Mexican food.
Developed by New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute, the
Primavera -- named for the Spanish word for the year's mildest season --
is the product of 10 years of research.
"To the locals, we've sold our soul to the devil," Paul Bosland, a
geneticist and the Las Cruces, N.M., institute's director, said Monday.
"But there really is a purpose behind what we're doing. There are a lot
of closet chili heads who really do want the mild."
Harvard University recently recognized the invention with an Ig Nobel
award for research "which cannot or should not be reproduced."
But salsa-making companies have been looking at such developments to
fulfill market demands for less spicy foods.
"I think it's a good idea," said Antonio Guerra, a chef at La Hacienda
in El Paso. "A good meal isn't complete without a nice salsa, even if
it is mild."
These guys didn't do their research ... chili heads????
Brad