🌶️ Pepper Vocab
Pepper names are size, heat, and kitchen job. Bell peppers are sweet boxes. Jalapeños are everyday heat. Habaneros are fruit and fire. Superhots are a category of their own.
🫑 Sweet & Mild
🫑 Bell Pepper
large mild sweet pepper - green, red, yellow, orange, and other colors
Example: Green bells are less sweet. Red bells stayed on the plant longer.
🇫🇷 French: Poivron
🇩🇪 German: Paprika / Paprikaschote
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimentão
💡 Nuance: Almost no heat. Cubanelle is the thinner frying cousin. Banana peppers are longer and paler.
large mild sweet pepper - green, red, yellow, orange, and other colors
Example: Green bells are less sweet. Red bells stayed on the plant longer.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimiento / pimentón🇫🇷 French: Poivron
🇩🇪 German: Paprika / Paprikaschote
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimentão
💡 Nuance: Almost no heat. Cubanelle is the thinner frying cousin. Banana peppers are longer and paler.
🟡 Cubanelle Pepper
long, thin, mild sweet pepper used in Caribbean, Italian, and Spanish cooking
Example: Cubanelles went into the sauté whole. Bells would have been chunkier.
🇫🇷 French: Cubanelle
🇩🇪 German: Cubanelle
🇮🇹 Italian: Cubanelle / friggitello (similar job)
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cubanelle
💡 Nuance: Frying pepper. Thin walls. Anaheim is longer and can carry a little heat.
long, thin, mild sweet pepper used in Caribbean, Italian, and Spanish cooking
Example: Cubanelles went into the sauté whole. Bells would have been chunkier.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Cubanelle / ají cubanela🇫🇷 French: Cubanelle
🇩🇪 German: Cubanelle
🇮🇹 Italian: Cubanelle / friggitello (similar job)
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cubanelle
💡 Nuance: Frying pepper. Thin walls. Anaheim is longer and can carry a little heat.
🍌 Banana Pepper
long yellow pepper - usually mild and sweet, sometimes a little hot
Example: Pickled banana pepper rings went on the sandwich.
🇫🇷 French: Piment banane
🇩🇪 German: Bananenpaprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone banana
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimentão banana
💡 Nuance: Looks like Hungarian wax. Wax peppers run hotter more often. Color alone does not tell you.
long yellow pepper - usually mild and sweet, sometimes a little hot
Example: Pickled banana pepper rings went on the sandwich.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimiento banana🇫🇷 French: Piment banane
🇩🇪 German: Bananenpaprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone banana
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimentão banana
💡 Nuance: Looks like Hungarian wax. Wax peppers run hotter more often. Color alone does not tell you.
🟥 Piquillo Pepper
small sweet red pepper from northern Spain
Example: Jarred piquillos came already roasted and peeled.
🇫🇷 French: Piquillo
🇩🇪 German: Piquillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Piquillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Piquillo
💡 Nuance: Sweet, not a chile bomb. Named for the little beak shape.
small sweet red pepper from northern Spain
Example: Jarred piquillos came already roasted and peeled.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimiento del piquillo🇫🇷 French: Piquillo
🇩🇪 German: Piquillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Piquillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Piquillo
💡 Nuance: Sweet, not a chile bomb. Named for the little beak shape.
🟩 Anaheim Pepper
long mild chile - fresh, roasted, or stuffed
Example: Anaheim chiles were roasted for a green sauce that stayed friendly.
🇫🇷 French: Piment Anaheim
🇩🇪 German: Anaheim-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino Anaheim
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta Anaheim
💡 Nuance: Mild New Mexico-style chile. Poblano is wider and darker, better for stuffing whole.
long mild chile - fresh, roasted, or stuffed
Example: Anaheim chiles were roasted for a green sauce that stayed friendly.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile Anaheim🇫🇷 French: Piment Anaheim
🇩🇪 German: Anaheim-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino Anaheim
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta Anaheim
💡 Nuance: Mild New Mexico-style chile. Poblano is wider and darker, better for stuffing whole.
🟢 Poblano
large mild-to-medium Mexican chile, often roasted or stuffed
Example: Chiles rellenos start with roasted poblanos.
🇫🇷 French: Poblano
🇩🇪 German: Poblano
🇮🇹 Italian: Poblano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Poblano
💡 Nuance: Dried, it is an ancho. Fresh it is poblano. Heat is usually gentle, with the odd hotter fruit.
large mild-to-medium Mexican chile, often roasted or stuffed
Example: Chiles rellenos start with roasted poblanos.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Poblano🇫🇷 French: Poblano
🇩🇪 German: Poblano
🇮🇹 Italian: Poblano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Poblano
💡 Nuance: Dried, it is an ancho. Fresh it is poblano. Heat is usually gentle, with the odd hotter fruit.
🌶️ Everyday Heat
🌶️ Jalapeño
medium Mexican chile - moderate heat, crisp and grassy
Example: Fresh jalapeño on nachos. Smoked and dried, the same pepper is a chipotle.
🇫🇷 French: Jalapeño
🇩🇪 German: Jalapeño
🇮🇹 Italian: Jalapeño
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jalapeño
💡 Nuance: The default medium chile. Serrano is thinner and usually hotter. Fresno looks similar and ripens red.
medium Mexican chile - moderate heat, crisp and grassy
Example: Fresh jalapeño on nachos. Smoked and dried, the same pepper is a chipotle.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Jalapeño🇫🇷 French: Jalapeño
🇩🇪 German: Jalapeño
🇮🇹 Italian: Jalapeño
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jalapeño
💡 Nuance: The default medium chile. Serrano is thinner and usually hotter. Fresno looks similar and ripens red.
🟢 Serrano
small narrow Mexican chile, generally hotter than a jalapeño
Example: Pico de gallo used serrano when jalapeño would have been too polite.
🇫🇷 French: Serrano
🇩🇪 German: Serrano
🇮🇹 Italian: Serrano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Serrano
💡 Nuance: Thin walls, bright heat. Not a habanero. Still an everyday salsa chile.
small narrow Mexican chile, generally hotter than a jalapeño
Example: Pico de gallo used serrano when jalapeño would have been too polite.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Serrano🇫🇷 French: Serrano
🇩🇪 German: Serrano
🇮🇹 Italian: Serrano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Serrano
💡 Nuance: Thin walls, bright heat. Not a habanero. Still an everyday salsa chile.
🔴 Fresno Pepper
medium chile that turns from green to red - moderate heat
Example: Red fresnos look like red jalapeños and taste a little fruitier.
🇫🇷 French: Piment Fresno
🇩🇪 German: Fresno-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino Fresno
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta Fresno
💡 Nuance: Same heat neighborhood as jalapeño. Red ripe ones are common in sauces.
medium chile that turns from green to red - moderate heat
Example: Red fresnos look like red jalapeños and taste a little fruitier.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile Fresno🇫🇷 French: Piment Fresno
🇩🇪 German: Fresno-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino Fresno
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta Fresno
💡 Nuance: Same heat neighborhood as jalapeño. Red ripe ones are common in sauces.
〰️ Cayenne Pepper
long thin chile - medium-hot to hot, often dried and ground
Example: Ground cayenne is the red powder. The fresh chile is a skinny red finger.
🇫🇷 French: Piment de Cayenne
🇩🇪 German: Cayennepfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino cayenne
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-caiena
💡 Nuance: The word often means the powder. Fresh cayenne is the long thin pod behind that powder.
long thin chile - medium-hot to hot, often dried and ground
Example: Ground cayenne is the red powder. The fresh chile is a skinny red finger.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Cayena🇫🇷 French: Piment de Cayenne
🇩🇪 German: Cayennepfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino cayenne
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-caiena
💡 Nuance: The word often means the powder. Fresh cayenne is the long thin pod behind that powder.
🟨 Hungarian Wax Pepper
yellow pepper whose heat runs from mild to quite hot
Example: The wax pepper looked like a banana pepper and bit like a jalapeño.
🇫🇷 French: Piment ciré hongrois
🇩🇪 German: Ungarischer Wachspfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone cera ungherese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-cera húngara
💡 Nuance: Do not trust the yellow color. Banana peppers are the usually milder lookalike.
yellow pepper whose heat runs from mild to quite hot
Example: The wax pepper looked like a banana pepper and bit like a jalapeño.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile cera húngaro🇫🇷 French: Piment ciré hongrois
🇩🇪 German: Ungarischer Wachspfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone cera ungherese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-cera húngara
💡 Nuance: Do not trust the yellow color. Banana peppers are the usually milder lookalike.
🍒 Cherry Pepper
small round pepper - sweet or hot, depending on the variety
Example: Pickled cherry peppers can be candy-sweet or a surprise burn.
🇫🇷 French: Piment cerise
🇩🇪 German: Kirschpaprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone ciliegia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-cereja
💡 Nuance: Shape name. Read the jar. Sweet cherry and hot cherry are different plants that look alike.
small round pepper - sweet or hot, depending on the variety
Example: Pickled cherry peppers can be candy-sweet or a surprise burn.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimiento cereza🇫🇷 French: Piment cerise
🇩🇪 German: Kirschpaprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone ciliegia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-cereja
💡 Nuance: Shape name. Read the jar. Sweet cherry and hot cherry are different plants that look alike.
🎲 Mild… Usually
🇯🇵 Shishito Pepper
small Japanese pepper - usually mild, with the odd hot one
Example: Blistered shishitos are a snack. About one in ten wakes you up.
🇫🇷 French: Shishito
🇩🇪 German: Shishito
🇮🇹 Italian: Shishito
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Shishito
💡 Nuance: Japanese blister pepper. Padrón is the Spanish cousin with the same roulette.
small Japanese pepper - usually mild, with the odd hot one
Example: Blistered shishitos are a snack. About one in ten wakes you up.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Shishito🇫🇷 French: Shishito
🇩🇪 German: Shishito
🇮🇹 Italian: Shishito
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Shishito
💡 Nuance: Japanese blister pepper. Padrón is the Spanish cousin with the same roulette.
🇪🇸 Padrón Pepper
small Spanish pepper cooked whole - most mild, some suddenly hot
Example: Pimientos de Padrón come with coarse salt and a warning.
🇫🇷 French: Piment de Padrón
🇩🇪 German: Padrón-Paprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone Padrón
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimento de Padrón
💡 Nuance: Same game as shishito. Different country, same blister-and-salt job.
small Spanish pepper cooked whole - most mild, some suddenly hot
Example: Pimientos de Padrón come with coarse salt and a warning.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimiento de Padrón🇫🇷 French: Piment de Padrón
🇩🇪 German: Padrón-Paprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperone Padrón
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimento de Padrón
💡 Nuance: Same game as shishito. Different country, same blister-and-salt job.
🍑 Fruity Heat
🧡 Habanero
small, very hot chile with a fruity aroma
Example: One habanero can season a whole pot. A jalapeño cannot.
🇫🇷 French: Habanero
🇩🇪 German: Habanero
🇮🇹 Italian: Habanero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Habanero
💡 Nuance: Fruit first, then fire. Scotch bonnet is the Caribbean cousin. Chocolate habanero is a darker form of the same family.
small, very hot chile with a fruity aroma
Example: One habanero can season a whole pot. A jalapeño cannot.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Habanero🇫🇷 French: Habanero
🇩🇪 German: Habanero
🇮🇹 Italian: Habanero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Habanero
💡 Nuance: Fruit first, then fire. Scotch bonnet is the Caribbean cousin. Chocolate habanero is a darker form of the same family.
🇯🇲 Scotch Bonnet
very hot Caribbean chile - fruity and a little sweet
Example: Jerk marinade wants scotch bonnet, not a green bell.
🇫🇷 French: Scotch bonnet
🇩🇪 German: Scotch Bonnet
🇮🇹 Italian: Scotch bonnet
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Scotch bonnet
💡 Nuance: Named for the wrinkled cap shape. Heat sits with habanero. Flavor is the Caribbean kitchen marker.
very hot Caribbean chile - fruity and a little sweet
Example: Jerk marinade wants scotch bonnet, not a green bell.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Scotch bonnet🇫🇷 French: Scotch bonnet
🇩🇪 German: Scotch Bonnet
🇮🇹 Italian: Scotch bonnet
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Scotch bonnet
💡 Nuance: Named for the wrinkled cap shape. Heat sits with habanero. Flavor is the Caribbean kitchen marker.
🍫 Chocolate Habanero
dark-brown habanero - very hot, rich and fruity
Example: Chocolate habanero is about color and depth, not cocoa.
🇫🇷 French: Habanero chocolat
🇩🇪 German: Schokoladen-Habanero
🇮🇹 Italian: Habanero chocolate
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Habanero chocolate
💡 Nuance: Still a habanero. Darker skin, often a deeper flavor. Not a dessert pepper.
dark-brown habanero - very hot, rich and fruity
Example: Chocolate habanero is about color and depth, not cocoa.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Habanero chocolate🇫🇷 French: Habanero chocolat
🇩🇪 German: Schokoladen-Habanero
🇮🇹 Italian: Habanero chocolate
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Habanero chocolate
💡 Nuance: Still a habanero. Darker skin, often a deeper flavor. Not a dessert pepper.
🇵🇪 Aji Amarillo
bright yellow-orange Peruvian chile - medium heat, fruity
Example: Aji amarillo paste is the yellow backbone of many Peruvian sauces.
🇫🇷 French: Aji amarillo
🇩🇪 German: Aji Amarillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Aji amarillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aji amarillo
💡 Nuance: Amarillo means yellow. Heat is real but not habanero-level. Aji panca is the milder, darker Peruvian cousin.
bright yellow-orange Peruvian chile - medium heat, fruity
Example: Aji amarillo paste is the yellow backbone of many Peruvian sauces.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Ají amarillo🇫🇷 French: Aji amarillo
🇩🇪 German: Aji Amarillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Aji amarillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aji amarillo
💡 Nuance: Amarillo means yellow. Heat is real but not habanero-level. Aji panca is the milder, darker Peruvian cousin.
🟤 Aji Panca
milder Peruvian chile - rich and fruity, often used dried
Example: Aji panca gives color and fruit without scorching the stew.
🇫🇷 French: Aji panca
🇩🇪 German: Aji Panca
🇮🇹 Italian: Aji panca
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aji panca
💡 Nuance: Flavor chile more than heat chile. Guajillo does a similar job in Mexican cooking.
milder Peruvian chile - rich and fruity, often used dried
Example: Aji panca gives color and fruit without scorching the stew.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Ají panca🇫🇷 French: Aji panca
🇩🇪 German: Aji Panca
🇮🇹 Italian: Aji panca
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aji panca
💡 Nuance: Flavor chile more than heat chile. Guajillo does a similar job in Mexican cooking.
🇲🇽 Guajillo Pepper
Mexican chile used fresh or dried - moderate heat, fruity and tangy
Example: Dried guajillos were soaked and blended into red sauce.
🇫🇷 French: Guajillo
🇩🇪 German: Guajillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Guajillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Guajillo
💡 Nuance: Workhorse dried red chile. Not a superhot. Tang and fruit, then medium warmth.
Mexican chile used fresh or dried - moderate heat, fruity and tangy
Example: Dried guajillos were soaked and blended into red sauce.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Guajillo🇫🇷 French: Guajillo
🇩🇪 German: Guajillo
🇮🇹 Italian: Guajillo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Guajillo
💡 Nuance: Workhorse dried red chile. Not a superhot. Tang and fruit, then medium warmth.
🔥 Small Fire & Superhots
🇹🇭 Thai Chili
small slender chile used in Southeast Asian cooking - serious heat
Example: Two Thai chilies changed the stir-fry. Two jalapeños would not have.
🇫🇷 French: Piment thaï
🇩🇪 German: Thai-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino thai
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta tailandesa
💡 Nuance: Overlaps with bird's eye in many kitchens. Tiny and hot. Not a sweet cherry pepper.
small slender chile used in Southeast Asian cooking - serious heat
Example: Two Thai chilies changed the stir-fry. Two jalapeños would not have.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile tailandés🇫🇷 French: Piment thaï
🇩🇪 German: Thai-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino thai
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta tailandesa
💡 Nuance: Overlaps with bird's eye in many kitchens. Tiny and hot. Not a sweet cherry pepper.
🐦 Bird's Eye Chili
small, intensely hot chile used across Asia and Africa
Example: Bird's eye chilies went into the nam prik raw.
🇫🇷 French: Piment oiseau
🇩🇪 German: Vogelaugen-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino occhio di uccello
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-olho-de-pássaro
💡 Nuance: A heat class more than one exact variety. Thai chili is the common grocery stand-in.
small, intensely hot chile used across Asia and Africa
Example: Bird's eye chilies went into the nam prik raw.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile ojo de pájaro🇫🇷 French: Piment oiseau
🇩🇪 German: Vogelaugen-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino occhio di uccello
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-olho-de-pássaro
💡 Nuance: A heat class more than one exact variety. Thai chili is the common grocery stand-in.
🇲🇽 Pequin Pepper
tiny hot Mexican chile with a sharp, bright bite
Example: Crushed pequin woke up the oil.
🇫🇷 French: Piment pequin
🇩🇪 German: Pequin-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino pequin
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta pequin
💡 Nuance: Small and sharp. Chiltepin is the wild round cousin.
tiny hot Mexican chile with a sharp, bright bite
Example: Crushed pequin woke up the oil.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile piquín / pequín🇫🇷 French: Piment pequin
🇩🇪 German: Pequin-Chili
🇮🇹 Italian: Peperoncino pequin
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta pequin
💡 Nuance: Small and sharp. Chiltepin is the wild round cousin.
⚪ Chiltepin
tiny round wild chile from Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
Example: Chiltepin heat hits fast and fades. Habanero hangs around.
🇫🇷 French: Chiltepin
🇩🇪 German: Chiltepin
🇮🇹 Italian: Chiltepin
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Chiltepin
💡 Nuance: Wild bird pepper. Round like a pea. Pequin is cultivated and a little longer.
tiny round wild chile from Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
Example: Chiltepin heat hits fast and fades. Habanero hangs around.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chiltepín / chile tepín🇫🇷 French: Chiltepin
🇩🇪 German: Chiltepin
🇮🇹 Italian: Chiltepin
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Chiltepin
💡 Nuance: Wild bird pepper. Round like a pea. Pequin is cultivated and a little longer.
👻 Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
extremely hot chile first famous in northeastern India
Example: Ghost pepper is a superhot. It is not an everyday taco chile.
🇫🇷 French: Piment fantôme
🇩🇪 German: Geisterchili
🇮🇹 Italian: Ghost pepper
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-fantasma
💡 Nuance: Superhot class with the reaper, scorpion, and 7 pot. Heat is the story. Handle like a concentrate.
extremely hot chile first famous in northeastern India
Example: Ghost pepper is a superhot. It is not an everyday taco chile.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile fantasma / bhut jolokia🇫🇷 French: Piment fantôme
🇩🇪 German: Geisterchili
🇮🇹 Italian: Ghost pepper
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-fantasma
💡 Nuance: Superhot class with the reaper, scorpion, and 7 pot. Heat is the story. Handle like a concentrate.
👑 Carolina Reaper
extremely hot chile bred in South Carolina
Example: Reaper sauce is measured in drops, not handfuls.
🇫🇷 French: Carolina Reaper
🇩🇪 German: Carolina Reaper
🇮🇹 Italian: Carolina Reaper
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Carolina Reaper
💡 Nuance: Tail-shaped superhot. Same caution as ghost and scorpion. Not a flavor-first kitchen chile like aji panca.
extremely hot chile bred in South Carolina
Example: Reaper sauce is measured in drops, not handfuls.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Carolina Reaper🇫🇷 French: Carolina Reaper
🇩🇪 German: Carolina Reaper
🇮🇹 Italian: Carolina Reaper
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Carolina Reaper
💡 Nuance: Tail-shaped superhot. Same caution as ghost and scorpion. Not a flavor-first kitchen chile like aji panca.
🦂 Trinidad Scorpion
very hot chile tied to Trinidad and Tobago
Example: The scorpion's stinger-shaped tip is the nickname, not a different plant family.
🇫🇷 French: Trinidad Scorpion
🇩🇪 German: Trinidad Scorpion
🇮🇹 Italian: Trinidad Scorpion
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trinidad Scorpion
💡 Nuance: Superhot neighbor of the 7 pot. Caribbean heat, not a scotch bonnet substitute in a recipe that wants fruit first.
very hot chile tied to Trinidad and Tobago
Example: The scorpion's stinger-shaped tip is the nickname, not a different plant family.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Trinidad Scorpion🇫🇷 French: Trinidad Scorpion
🇩🇪 German: Trinidad Scorpion
🇮🇹 Italian: Trinidad Scorpion
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trinidad Scorpion
💡 Nuance: Superhot neighbor of the 7 pot. Caribbean heat, not a scotch bonnet substitute in a recipe that wants fruit first.
7️⃣ 7 Pot Pepper
extremely hot Caribbean chile, traditionally from Trinidad
Example: The name claims one pepper can heat seven pots. Treat that as a warning, not a recipe.
🇫🇷 French: 7 pot
🇩🇪 German: 7 Pot
🇮🇹 Italian: 7 pot
🇵🇹 Portuguese: 7 pot
💡 Nuance: Superhot family with the scorpion. Not an everyday serrano.
extremely hot Caribbean chile, traditionally from Trinidad
Example: The name claims one pepper can heat seven pots. Treat that as a warning, not a recipe.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile 7 pot🇫🇷 French: 7 pot
🇩🇪 German: 7 Pot
🇮🇹 Italian: 7 pot
🇵🇹 Portuguese: 7 pot
💡 Nuance: Superhot family with the scorpion. Not an everyday serrano.
🖤 Rocoto
thick-fleshed South American chile - serious heat and black seeds
Example: Rocoto looks like a small apple and does not eat like a bell pepper.
🇫🇷 French: Rocoto
🇩🇪 German: Rocoto
🇮🇹 Italian: Rocoto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Rocoto
💡 Nuance: Black seeds are the clue. Manzano is the close Mexican/Andean cousin with the same seeds.
thick-fleshed South American chile - serious heat and black seeds
Example: Rocoto looks like a small apple and does not eat like a bell pepper.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Rocoto / locoto🇫🇷 French: Rocoto
🇩🇪 German: Rocoto
🇮🇹 Italian: Rocoto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Rocoto
💡 Nuance: Black seeds are the clue. Manzano is the close Mexican/Andean cousin with the same seeds.
🍎 Manzano Pepper
thick-fleshed chile with real heat and black seeds
Example: Manzano means apple. The shape matches. The heat does not.
🇫🇷 French: Manzano
🇩🇪 German: Manzano
🇮🇹 Italian: Manzano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Manzano
💡 Nuance: Same black-seed group as rocoto. Cool-climate chile. Not a sweet apple pepper.
thick-fleshed chile with real heat and black seeds
Example: Manzano means apple. The shape matches. The heat does not.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Chile manzano🇫🇷 French: Manzano
🇩🇪 German: Manzano
🇮🇹 Italian: Manzano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Manzano
💡 Nuance: Same black-seed group as rocoto. Cool-climate chile. Not a sweet apple pepper.
🧠 Useful Distinctions
🫑 Bell vs. 🟡 Cubanelle vs. 🍌 Banana vs. 🟨 Wax
Bell is blocky and sweet. Cubanelle is a thin frying pepper. Banana is usually mild and pickled. Hungarian wax looks similar and runs hotter.
Bell is blocky and sweet. Cubanelle is a thin frying pepper. Banana is usually mild and pickled. Hungarian wax looks similar and runs hotter.
🌶️ Jalapeño vs. Serrano vs. Fresno vs. Cayenne
Jalapeño is the medium default. Serrano is thinner and hotter. Fresno ripens red in the same heat band. Cayenne is the long thin pod behind the red powder.
Jalapeño is the medium default. Serrano is thinner and hotter. Fresno ripens red in the same heat band. Cayenne is the long thin pod behind the red powder.
🟢 Poblano vs. Anaheim
Poblano is wide and dark, built for stuffing (ancho when dried). Anaheim is longer and usually milder.
Poblano is wide and dark, built for stuffing (ancho when dried). Anaheim is longer and usually milder.
🇯🇵 Shishito vs. 🇪🇸 Padrón
Same snack: blister, salt, hope. Most are mild. A few are not.
Same snack: blister, salt, hope. Most are mild. A few are not.
🧡 Habanero vs. 🇯🇲 Scotch bonnet vs. 🍫 Chocolate habanero
Same heat class. Scotch bonnet is the Caribbean kitchen name and shape. Chocolate habanero is a dark habanero, not a cocoa chile.
Same heat class. Scotch bonnet is the Caribbean kitchen name and shape. Chocolate habanero is a dark habanero, not a cocoa chile.
🇵🇪 Aji amarillo vs. Aji panca vs. 🇲🇽 Guajillo
Flavor chiles. Amarillo is yellow and medium-hot. Panca is milder and dried often. Guajillo is the Mexican tangy red.
Flavor chiles. Amarillo is yellow and medium-hot. Panca is milder and dried often. Guajillo is the Mexican tangy red.
👻 Ghost vs. 👑 Reaper vs. 🦂 Scorpion vs. 7️⃣ 7 pot
Superhots. Use as a concentrate, not as a jalapeño substitute.
Superhots. Use as a concentrate, not as a jalapeño substitute.
🖤 Rocoto vs. 🍎 Manzano
Thick walls, black seeds, real heat. Apple-shaped, not apple-sweet.
Thick walls, black seeds, real heat. Apple-shaped, not apple-sweet.
💬 Everyday Pepper Phrases
🌶️ Jalapeño heat, not habanero heat.
everyday chile vs. fruit-and-fire
🇫🇷 La chaleur d’un jalapeño, pas d’un habanero.
🇩🇪 Jalapeño-Schärfe, keine Habanero-Schärfe.
🇮🇹 Il piccante del jalapeño, non dell’habanero.
🇵🇹 Ardência de jalapeño, não de habanero.
everyday chile vs. fruit-and-fire
Show translations
🇪🇸 Picante de jalapeño, no de habanero.🇫🇷 La chaleur d’un jalapeño, pas d’un habanero.
🇩🇪 Jalapeño-Schärfe, keine Habanero-Schärfe.
🇮🇹 Il piccante del jalapeño, non dell’habanero.
🇵🇹 Ardência de jalapeño, não de habanero.
🎲 Most shishitos are mild. That one might not be.
the roulette peppers
🇫🇷 Presque tous les shishitos sont doux. Celui-là peut ne pas l’être.
🇩🇪 Die meisten Shishitos sind mild. Der da vielleicht nicht.
🇮🇹 Quasi tutti gli shishito sono dolci. Quello forse no.
🇵🇹 Quase todos os shishitos são suaves. Aquele pode não ser.
the roulette peppers
Show translations
🇪🇸 Casi todos los shishitos son suaves. Ese puede no serlo.🇫🇷 Presque tous les shishitos sont doux. Celui-là peut ne pas l’être.
🇩🇪 Die meisten Shishitos sind mild. Der da vielleicht nicht.
🇮🇹 Quasi tutti gli shishito sono dolci. Quello forse no.
🇵🇹 Quase todos os shishitos são suaves. Aquele pode não ser.
👻 That is a superhot. Use a drop, not a handful.
ghost, reaper, scorpion, 7 pot
🇫🇷 C’est un superhot. Une goutte, pas une poignée.
🇩🇪 Das ist ein Superhot. Ein Tropfen, keine Handvoll.
🇮🇹 È un superhot. Una goccia, non una manciata.
🇵🇹 Isso é um superhot. Uma gota, não um punhado.
ghost, reaper, scorpion, 7 pot
Show translations
🇪🇸 Eso es un superhot. Una gota, no un puñado.🇫🇷 C’est un superhot. Une goutte, pas une poignée.
🇩🇪 Das ist ein Superhot. Ein Tropfen, keine Handvoll.
🇮🇹 È un superhot. Una goccia, non una manciata.
🇵🇹 Isso é um superhot. Uma gota, não um punhado.
🍌 Banana looks like wax. Wax is the one that can bite.
yellow lookalikes
🇫🇷 Le banana ressemble au wax. C’est le wax qui peut piquer.
🇩🇪 Banana sieht aus wie Wax. Wax kann beißen.
🇮🇹 Il banana somiglia al wax. Il wax è quello che può pizzicare.
🇵🇹 O banana parece o wax. O wax é o que pode arder.
yellow lookalikes
Show translations
🇪🇸 El banana se parece al wax. El wax es el que puede picar.🇫🇷 Le banana ressemble au wax. C’est le wax qui peut piquer.
🇩🇪 Banana sieht aus wie Wax. Wax kann beißen.
🇮🇹 Il banana somiglia al wax. Il wax è quello che può pizzicare.
🇵🇹 O banana parece o wax. O wax é o que pode arder.
🏆 Final Practice
English in the Real World:
Read the situation. Choose the more precise pepper word.
Read the situation. Choose the more precise pepper word.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%