General Information
The Hungarian chile pepper has a waxy translucent exterior. It’s thin skin, and thick flesh are pale yellow when immature. Hungarian chile peppers ripen to a vivid red-orange to red but are most frequently used in its immature yellow stage. The heat and flavor of the Hungarian chile can vary from mild to hot depending upon variety and maturity. The heat of the Hungarian chile pepper will intensify significantly if allowed to ripen fully. On average its Scoville rating ranges from 5,000 – 15,000 units.
History
Peppers were first introduced to Hungary in the 1500’s by invading Turks. The first recorded Hungarian pepper was called the “Turkisch rot Pfeffer” or “Turkish red pepper” and was most likely a mature variety of the yellow Hungarian pepper we know today. In Hungarian the term paprika is used to describe both the quintessential powdered red spice and the fresh pepper. The term is used interchangeably for all chile peppers sold in Hungary, however in the United States and Europe the term refers to the powdered spice exclusively. The Hungarian pepper has long thrived in the warm and sunny climate of Southern Hungary.
