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Wild vs. cultivar

Chillihead_benny

Chillihead_benny

Hello All. Gt a friend in southern Texas whom has found some wild chiltepins.. i got sent one.. and it was very bitter.. not just hot. wondering if there is a similar taste with most wilds. i have tasted a lot of diferent chillis from around the world (as far as i can tell all cultivars) and have not ran into that same bitter taste as of yet. I see so many folks here growing wild species and am wondering.. is it "'cause i can" or "'cause they taste good"?

I know this is in a way a loaded question, but i felt that we could wax on about this for a while.
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I dried hundreds of chiltepins last year,eat some almost every day and find the seeds to have slight bitterness when chewed agressively. I also made a batch of fermented/aged tepin mash that has a great flavor, and it too has a subtle bitter flavor as well,not distasteful or overpowering...but its there just the same.
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Chili Monsta said:
I dried hundreds of chiltepins last year,eat some almost every day and find the seeds to have slight bitterness when chewed agressively. I also made a batch of fermented/aged tepin mash that has a great flavor, and it too has a subtle bitter flavor as well,not distasteful or overpowering...but its there just the same.
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Neat! i am growing chiltepin this year but not from the one i ate. Hope to report back on the taste from ripe homegrown.
 
i am also curious about other wilds. these are from the mexican desert.. how about other types.. from the depths of the jungle in Belize or the Amazon.. Africa too and Asia.. i am down for discussing any wilds.
 
I love tepins and pequins except for picking the little buggers. Their flavor is quite earthy and mild but they pack a good punch. I find them to be perfect in dishes where you want heat but you don't want to change the flavor a lot. I think the bitterness comes from the many seeds, and its near impossible to remove them
 
POTAWIE said:
I love tepins and pequins except for picking the little buggers. Their flavor is quite earthy and mild but they pack a good punch. I find them to be perfect in dishes where you want heat but you don't want to change the flavor a lot.
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thank you sir! i will pass this one to a friend of mine.. not on THP. His goal is a hot sauce that can add heat but not a whole lot of flavor change ( less vinegar, no bitterness). He can have some of the ones i am growing this year and see if it fills his needs..
 
This is an interesting discussion you've started here Chillihead_benny.

Some growers are finding that not all of the wilds are yielding the tastiest of pepper pods.

One wild that does have a good flavor though, (some claim the pods have a 'Fruit Loops'-esque ytpe flavor) is the Cumari type of pepper.

There are a few types of Cumari pepper. One is a Chinense, and these have yellow round to oval shaped pods, and they come with good heat.

Another is a completely different plant.... Cumari pollux is also known as C. praetermissum var. 'Cumari Pollux', and this wild looking plant has small reddish-orange colored fruits.

If you decide to look into these Cumari types, you will no doubt find a few other strains of these very tasty heat treats.

dvg
 
dvg said:
This is an interesting discussion you've started here Chillihead_benny.

Some growers are finding that not all of the wilds are yeilding the tastiest of pepper pods.

One wild that does have a good flavor though, (some claim the pods have a Fruit Loops-esque ytpe flavor) is the Cumari type of pepper.

There are a few types of Cumari pepper. One is a Chinense, and have yellow round to oval shaped pods, with good heat.

Another is Cumari pollux is also known as C. praetermissum var. 'Cumari Pollux'.

If you decide to look into these Cumari types, you will no doubt find a few other strains of these very tasty heat treats.

dvg
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Excellent dvg! now we got the ball rolling in the direction i hope this would naturally progress!!.. i love everything about peppers.. from growing to the Ethobiology of the different species. Cumari, both kinds are going on my 2012 grow list now. Thank you!
 
I personally love the chiltepins that grow wild here, and I haven't personally experienced that 'bitter' taste. But I honestly don't harvest them en masse. I just grab a handful every now and then at work (where they grow wild) and pop them. They kind of taste 'smoky' to me.

Have fun growing them, and if you need any wild re-stock from Central Texas, just harass me around November or December when the crop comes in. :)
 
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