For centuries, chilies have been integral to cuisines across Asia and Latin America, dropped into curries and stews, mixed into salsas, sauces, and moles. But it’s only relatively recently that the United States has joined the heat wave.
 
“People are no longer terrified of spicy foods and chili peppers the way they were 20 years ago,” says Dave DeWitt, producer of the Fiery Foods Show, which draws some 14,000 people to Albuquerque every year.

Annual domestic consumption of chilies has risen steadily, from 4.5 pounds a in 1991 to 6.4 pounds in 2006, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s being driven in part by the waves of immigration from Asian and Latin American countries, but also by a foodie culture that embraces ethnic cuisines in their authentic, often fiery forms. “Now you’re experiencing a whole world of different chilies, and people have grown very sophisticated,” says Zarela Martinez, a culinary tour guide and owner of an eponymous Mexican restaurant in New York City.

China produces nearly half of all the chili peppers eaten worldwide. Most of that (primarily varieties of the bright red cayenne) is in the form of dried and ground product, says Gary Lucier, an agricultural economist with the U.S.D.A. China’s production is up so much that their peppers are seeping into the markets of producers from Korea to Mexico. Increasingly, most of the fresh chilies eaten in the U.S. are grown in Mexico, although they’re often shipped north of the border for packaging—sometimes at converted pepper farms.

While chilies are infamous for their heat, they’re far from a one-note ingredient. Chefs and gourmands prize them for the complex interplay of fruity, grassy, vegetal, and even floral flavors. With our tips, you won’t need innards of steel to take on the burn.

Taking the temperature
The heat of a chili is measured in Scoville Heat Units, which quantify the amount of capsaicin—a colorless, flavorless compound found primarily in the ribs and seeds of the fruit. New Mexicos and Anaheims, among the mildest of chilies, score 500 to 1,500 S.H.U.’s, respectively. Standard-issue jalapeños clock in at anywhere between 2,500 and 5,000, while the hottest chilies range from 100,000 to 350,000 S.H.U.’s. Chili extremists were abuzz last year over news that a new variety, the bhut jolokia from India, rang in at 1 million-plus S.H.U.’s.

Form and function
Chilies can be consumed fresh as well as smoked, dried, or ground into powder. In general, dried chilies taste hotter, since the capsaicin is concentrated in the dehydrated pepper. Many Indian curries and Mexican moles include chili in more than one form; the interplay of flavors and textures makes for a unique complexity.

Small but strong
As a rule of thumb, the smaller the chili, the hotter it is. New Mexican chilies, for instance, are large enough to stuff, and their bite is more mild than mind-boggling. The golf-pencil-size cayennes and slender red bird chilies that grow throughout Asia are legendary for giving curries and sauces their fire. The truly incendiary chilies tend to be the size of a large marble—like the habañero and the Scotch bonnet, both of which add kick to Caribbean and West Indian dishes.

Taming the beast
Not sure you can take the heat? Try chilies that have been blanched, pickled, or fried; all three methods neutralize the capsaicin and let the other flavors of the pepper come through. Chili novices can also try milder varieties, such as the Anaheim or poblano chili. If your mouth is on fire, don’t reach for the water; capsaicin isn’t water soluble. Try milk, ice cream, or sour cream; the fat and protein in them subdue the compound.

The spice of life
While some chilies are eaten as a vegetable (such as cheese-stuffed chili rellenos), it’s far more common for these spicy pods to be used as a flavoring agent. Restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten urges diners to think of chilies the way they think of salt. “In the right proportion, a little chili has the ability to snap the palate to attention, so other flavors actually become heightened.” Chilies have a particular affinity for sharp acids like citrus and vinegar, as well as grilled foods.

Bringing it home
When preparing a fresh chili, cut the heat by removing the seeds and ribs before chopping or dicing. Keep your hands away from your face, since capsaicin bonds to mucus membranes. And if you’re dealing with a super-hot variety like a habañero or Scotch bonnet, you might want to don rubber gloves to avoid skin irritation.

Just desserts
While most people think of chilies only in savory foods, the cacao-spiked moles of Oaxaca prove they go nicely with Mexico’s other famous culinary contribution: chocolate. Red chili adds another dimension of heat and spice to hot chocolate as well as chocolate desserts. A popular street snack in South Asia is tropical fruit sprinkled with salt, sugar, and powdered chili pepper, and some high-end U.S. chefs have embraced that frisson of flavor as well.