food Heat vs Flavor
- Thread starter 6StringFire
- Start date
jblo said:
This is a "late" response, but..... I wonder if you're confusing "aji lemon" and "lemon drop". I was given some lemon drop to try and found I can't stand them, as it makes me think of old-lady lipstick - like kissing granny. Your description of a soapy after-taste is kind of like that. I grew aji lemon and will grow them again sometime, as I do like their flavor, however.
But, that said, the thing to keep in mind is we all have different tastes. Although I dislike lemon drop, I know others love it. The same can be said for any food that's out there. The reality is that you're not going to know what YOU like until you try them for yourself. I like ordering fresh pods from Cross Country Nurseries (chileplants.com) so I can try them for myself. You might consider doing the same.
It all comes down to personal taste. Many people here rave about fatalis and scotch bonnets, but those varieties taste like ass to me. I grew an aji lemondrop this year and it was a huge producer, which forced me to experiment with how to use it. +1 to the person in this thread that said that it has to be fully ripe to taste really good. I found it make the best pepper jelly out of any pepper I have tried so far, but I would never suggest eating it raw or using it as a "naked" flavour in something. It really has to be blended and mixed into something else as a flavour enhancer to shine, which makes sense because actual lemons are exactly the same way.
To answer the original question, the best blend of heat and taste for me is easily the tabasco pepper. It has to be fully ripe or else it tastes terrible, but once you get it there it has a wonderful flavour for sauces. If you want more heat you just add more peppers per batch, and if you are in mixed company with people who can't handle high heat then you just put fewer pods into whatever you are making. The only cons are they require a very long growing season, which is frustrating as you wait for pods to ripen, and it takes forever to de-seed the tiny pods. And de-seeding is important for tobascos, because the high seed to flesh ratio means you will end up with a bitter end product if you don't carefully de-seed first.
To answer the original question, the best blend of heat and taste for me is easily the tabasco pepper. It has to be fully ripe or else it tastes terrible, but once you get it there it has a wonderful flavour for sauces. If you want more heat you just add more peppers per batch, and if you are in mixed company with people who can't handle high heat then you just put fewer pods into whatever you are making. The only cons are they require a very long growing season, which is frustrating as you wait for pods to ripen, and it takes forever to de-seed the tiny pods. And de-seeding is important for tobascos, because the high seed to flesh ratio means you will end up with a bitter end product if you don't carefully de-seed first.
Habs for sure. Just enough heat.
There's no single right answer, of course, but lately I've gone in big for the various yellow ajis: aji limon, aji pineapple, Guyana, aji amarillo. None of them are all that hot, but their flavor works and plays well with my palate, and they deliver just the right amount of heat for a lot of "don't kill the dinner guests" uses. I recognize the soapy flavor but it doesn't bother me, and in a strong-flavored sauce context like a ceviche it mostly disappears.
On the other hand, I think the Fatalii is perfection incarnate in the light-heavyweight class. You'd never use it for the same things as an aji limon though! The trick is to find a balance where the flavors of the dish are strong enough to compete with the heat, yet don't blow away the citrus/floral character of the pepper. I like it in chicken or shrimp vindaloo, where the habanero flavor would clash with the other spices IMHO.
-NT
On the other hand, I think the Fatalii is perfection incarnate in the light-heavyweight class. You'd never use it for the same things as an aji limon though! The trick is to find a balance where the flavors of the dish are strong enough to compete with the heat, yet don't blow away the citrus/floral character of the pepper. I like it in chicken or shrimp vindaloo, where the habanero flavor would clash with the other spices IMHO.
-NT
