I first had had Peppadews (TM) last year when I was in South Africa and one was served in my martini as I waited at the bar in the Cape Grace Hotel for my fellow diners to meet me for dinner at the incredible One.Waterfront restaurant in the hotel. I later picked up a jar at a local Woolworth’s Dept. Store supermarket and finished them off quite quickly over the next week. I ate them from the jar and I served them in gin on the rocks (otherwise known as extremely dry Martinis) to friends, as we traveled by ship around the world, working on a floating University. I was reminded of them again when I saw them a few weeks ago at the International Restaurant and Food Service Show in NY. Personally I think they have a bit of a forced, sweet taste and weird spice flavor. I picked up a jar a few days ago at "Whole Paycheck" and the more I eat the less I like them. They aren’t horrible or anything, just when you focus on the flavors strange tastes come up.

Peppadews (TM) are becoming known as the newest food myth. Some original quotes have been printed incorrectly or out of context on various websites and are leading to false claims that they are "first new fruit to be launched on the world market" and a new fruit or hybrid. They are not a "new fruit" just a bush pepper descended from plants brought over from Central America to South Africa centuries ago.

DNA testing supports that they may be an unregistered type of habanero pepper (genus capsicum), but they are not a completely new and unknown fruit. In the Plant Varieties Journal, vol 11, #3, pages 17-18 they fully describe and detail the pepper and state "Origin: Seedling selection: the exact parents of the variety are unknown and the variety is probably a stable mutation from the Habanero chilli." The Peppadew (TM) seeds were compared to "‘Habanero’ and ‘SPS 760’" varieties at the Plant Research Centre, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Waite, SA, Jan 1998–Jun 1998

The owner of the company has trademarked the name "Peppadew" and is involved in trying to prove growers and intellectual owner’s rights. It seems that he may be trying to claim ownership of something that he doesn't have the right to claim. So Peppadews, also called sweet piquant peppers, are not some new special fruit. They are not a cross between anything else either as some myths suggest such as "something like a cross between cherry tomatoes and very round chillies."

The peppers are pickled with sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices, as well as a lot of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C- one 30gm/one oz. serving has the RDA) and calcium chloride (an ingredient used to artificially make pickled products crisp) which is why they are so crisp. There really isn't anything especially new about them. They're just a tasty, slightly spicy, sweet pickled pepper with a catchy name.

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