Tabasco

There is a wide variety of chili peppers. These include such a popular pepper as Tabasco. He gained his fame due to the fact that it is used as the main ingredient in the spicy sauce of the same name, which has been produced for almost 150 years. The pepper itself was named after a large Mexican state located in the southeast of the country.

The plant belongs to the genus Capsicum frutescens, family Solanaceae. It is a lush shrub with vertically arranged fruits.

The flowers are small, white-yellow.

Peppers are thin-skinned, pointed-oval in shape, about four centimeters in length. Unripe fruits are pale yellow, even greenish. Ripening peppers have an orange color, while ripe ones are bright red.

This hot little pepper is a native of Mexico. Now this culture is also popular in South and Central America.

To prepare Tabasco as a condiment, peppers are harvested in varying degrees of maturity. Collection is done manually. It can be both yellow (not ripe) and red fruits. Depending on the collection period, the degree of spiciness and flavor will also be different.

You can dry the peppers in a natural way, which means in the sun or in a well-lit window. Or, to speed up the process, in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 55-60 ° C for several hours.In this case, it will be necessary to regularly turn the peppers and make sure that they do not overheat. Such dried spices are stored better and longer in an airtight container, in a dark place, at a temperature not exceeding 20 ° C and relative humidity not more than 70%.

• Determining the degree of sharpness of Tabasco on the Scoville scale, the level will range from 30,000 to 50,000 units, which indicates a sharp taste, but it is far from the most burning.
• The pulp of green fruits is very dense, unlike mature ones. Ripe pepper has an elastic skin, but its inside turns into a creamy mass.
• Capsaicin, which is responsible for spiciness, is found in the seeds and ribs of Tabasco.

100 grams of dried Tabasco contains:

In addition, sugar is present in pepper - 15 g, dietary fiber - 11 g.

• Vitamins: B6 - 15%, D - 19%, C - 19%, E - 6%, K - 50%, riboflavin - 26%.
• Nicotinic acid - 16%
• Manganese - 15%
• Potassium - 20%
• Iron - 12%

These small hot peppers contain large doses of antioxidant vitamins that neutralize free radicals in our body, which is very important for cancer prevention and health promotion. In addition, Tabasco has the following properties:

• strong anti-inflammatory;
• immuno-strengthening;
• antimicrobial;
• stimulating digestion.

Moderate consumption of Tabasco will not cause any harm to the body.

Tabasco pepper is not recommended to use:

• with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• if you have kidney or liver problems;
• with allergic reactions.

Before taking Tabasco for medicinal purposes, you need to consult a doctor.

As a hot spice, pepper is used in many dishes:

• as a component in homemade sauces;
• it perfectly complements meat or fish dishes;
• omelettes, side dishes of vegetables or beans go well with Tabasco;
• use it in the preparation of many soups;
• also pickled and salted.

The required amount of fresh peppers is taken and washed thoroughly with cold water. Then you should pierce with a skewer, or cut each pepper with a knife and put them in prepared sterilized jars, leaving about one centimeter of free space on top.

Next is preparing the marinade. Distilled white vinegar and water are mixed in equal parts, salt is added there (based on: for one glass of peppers, one glass of water-vinegar mixture and 2 teaspoons of salt (or 1 salt and 1 sugar, to choose from)). You can also add whole cloves of garlic, mustard seeds, coriander or bay leaf to your taste.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the prepared marinade over the peppers, without adding one centimeter to the edge, and close the jars tightly.

Cook 2 cups shells or any other type of pasta in salted water until al dente and drain.

In a wok (deep frying pan for quick cooking), add olive oil and chopped red onion. Fry over high heat for one minute.

Add pre-chopped 3 asparagus spears, ½ cup bell pepper, ½ cup broccoli florets, ½ cup green peas and fry for one minute.

Add 1 teaspoon of Tabasco (without a slide), chili flakes on the tip of a knife, salt and black pepper to taste. We spread the cooked pasta in the total mass and fry over high heat for one more last minute. Ready!

In-depth studies on the medicinal properties of pepper have not been conducted. However, it is known that it stimulates digestion well, due to the high content of capsaicin in the composition. Pepper also helps reduce appetite, which in some cases helps in the fight against excess weight.

Tabasco pepper is easy to grow on your windowsill in a flower pot because the plant is quite compact. You can also plant it in a summer cottage, but with special conditions, since this culture is light and heat-loving.

It is better to sow seeds in the month of March, when the daylight hours are longer. The soil must be well-drained and rich in nutrients. Its pH should vary from 5.5 to 7.0, which corresponds to slightly acidic soils.

When the growing season is over, as a top dressing for peppers, for better fruiting, fertilizers rich in phosphorus, potassium, calcium and nitrogen are used. Tabasco, as a houseplant, can be shaped by giving a mini-tree the desired shape.

If you decide to grow pepper in the garden, then in this case the greenhouse will be the best place to plant it. Pre-prepared seedlings are planted at the end of May on the sunny side. At the same time, the soil temperature should not be less than 15 ° C, since a decrease in degrees affects the yield of Tabasco.You should also cover the plant itself if there is a chance of night frosts.

Watering greenhouse peppers should be plentiful, especially during the hot period. You can use mulch to help the moisture evaporate more slowly. Make sure that the soil is not waterlogged, otherwise it can cause root rot.

Tabasco takes 80-100 days from planting to full ripening. Fruits are harvested only with a knife or scissors, cutting them off together with the stalk. Pulling pepper is undesirable, otherwise you can accidentally damage the branches.

Fresh fruits are stored in the refrigerator in a ventilated container for no more than a week, during this period the aroma and beneficial properties remain unchanged.

The history of hot liquid seasoning with worldwide popularity began in 1868. An American businessman from Avery Island, Louisiana, experimented with making a sauce from small peppers. The result of numerous trials was this original recipe for the famous Tabasco. Success came to him almost immediately. Edmund McAlenny used ripe peppers, which he ground into a puree and mixed with sea salt. The resulting mass was left to ferment in oak barrels for three years. Further, the mixture was diluted with vinegar, filtered and bottled. So it turned out a classic recipe, a real red sauce Original. Other varieties are not subjected to such a long exposure.

Less than a year later, McAlenny opened his business. And after 4 years, the colossal triumph of the sauce began, it began to disperse all over the world. The trademark still does not concede to its traditions in the impeccable production of the sauce. It firmly holds the first place in the sales market.

The company is so concerned about its reputation that even the collection of raw materials is carefully controlled. Specialists select peppers of a strictly defined degree of ripeness. To do this, they always have a color sample with them, with which they compare the color of the fetus.

Today there are many varieties of sauces. These include complex seasonings from the MCILHENNY FARMS series. Tabasco Habanero is considered the spiciest among all Tabascos, and Tabasco Sweet'n'Spicy is considered less burning.

You can learn more about Tabasco sauce and its production from the following video.

This unusual sauce is valued for its sharp taste and pleasant spicy aroma. It is great for seasoning soups, salads and second courses. All kinds of snacks are prepared with it, such as fried hot nuts, salsa, guacamole, etc. Also used as a marinade for meat and fish products.

A sauce called Bloody Mary Mix became popular. It is considered an essential ingredient in the famous Bloody Mary cocktail. This drink is prepared in a completely different way than many of us previously thought. This recipe contains other components in the composition, namely: vodka, tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and tomato juice. Such a cocktail is served necessarily with a stalk of celery.

Eating Tabasco for food, you will not only enjoy its taste, but also provide invaluable assistance to the body, since it contains many vitamins, fatty acids and not a small amount of minerals.And given that its calorie content is only 12 kcal per 100 grams, you don’t have to worry about the consequences on the figure, because the sauce also improves metabolism.

Since the sauce is very spicy, it is not recommended for people with heart problems and allergies. Do not abuse sauces, so as not to cause disruption of the digestive tract.