Cayenne pepper Nutrition facts

Cayenne pepper

Fiercely hot and pungent, cayenne pepper is one of the widely used spice items in many cuisines. Cayenne fruits are slender, elongated pods obtained from the capsicum family plant.
The Cayenne variety of chili pepper plant is native to the Central American region where it employed as a spicy ingredient in the cuisine for several thousand years. It was introduced to the rest of the world, especially to the Indian subcontinent, by Spanish and Portuguese explorers during the 16th and 17th centuries. They are now one of the important commercial crops grown in India, Pakistan, China, Argentina, and the US.
Botanically, cayenne plant belongs to the nightshade family of Solanaceae, in the genus; capsicum. Scientific name: Capsicum annuum var. annuum.
Cayenne pepper is a small perennial shrub, reaching about 90-100 cm in height. It prefers well-drained sandy soil and a warm climate. Its woody stem with numerous branches covered with thick dark-green foliage. Small creamy-white flowers appear all over the bush, which subsequently develops into long, slender, glossy, bright-green fruits (pods). The fruits are finally attained mature status when they turn deep-red color.
Interiorly, each cayenne fruit features numerous tiny, flat, disk-shaped, off-white, or cream-colored seeds. The seeds are actually clinging to the central white placenta.