Jalapenos

Guide Note

Jalapeños are a variety of spicy Chili Pepper native to Mexico. Though they can be used in a variety of dishes, popular uses for jalapenos are on hot dogs, nachos and hamburgers.

Fast Facts

1. 5,500 acres in the U.S. dedicated to jalapeno cultivation¹
2. Anti-carcinogenic
3. Most of the world's jalapenos are grown in Mexico and Texas
4. Though they are usually sold while green, jalapenos turn red at the end of the growing season
5. Red jalapenos are often used in chipotles

The jalapeno is named after the town Xalapa, Veracruz where the pepper was traditionally grown. It is known by several different names in Mexico, including cuaresmeños, huachinangos and chiles gordos.

Following an investigation into the largest food borne illness outbreak in over a decade, jalapeno peppers were named as one of the possible sources of salmonella poisoning that has caused over 1,000 Americans and Canadians to fall ill.²