Garlic used to be the go-to ingredient of both pros and of home cooks. If you ask chefs like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver what their favorite ingredient of the moment is, they might just say chilis, instead. Chilis, as Nigella puts it "are quite exciting... [and] quite apart from the fact that chillies are so red and shiny, I feel they've been fashioned by Santa's elves." It seems unlikely that the first thought that pops into other people's minds when looking at chilis is that they are produced by elves, but their versatile and spicy flavor is just as likely to excite the imagination of a cook as a new toy is to excite a child.
In addition to being tasty, chilis have proven health benefits, which makes them fit neatly into the trend for foods that have to do with wellness and overall good health. Capsaicin, a chemical in chilis that gives them their heat, has been shown to slow the growth of and even kill cancer cells, alleviate inflammation, relieve chronic pain and even help to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-01-2006 @ 1:45PM
MJ said...
Stick with garlic great for your health, without the burn!
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12-01-2006 @ 3:50PM
Spitzmaus said...
But the burn is essential, MJ -- it's part of the allure, an aspect of the chili zeitgeist!! What's truly wonderful about chili cultivars is the range of both flavor and heat; one can go from subtle tingle to thermonuclear and back again, from bright and grassy to muted and smoky. Try doing *that* with garlic!
Growing up in the former Spanish land grant known as California, I was introduced to chiles at an early age and have always loved them. Indeed, I love to look at them (try passing by a colorful array of chiles at the farmers' market) as well as cook with and eat them. No, I'm not one of those asbestos-tongued chili geeks for whom Scoville rating tolerance has become an extreme sport! Incendiary for the sake of incendiary does nothing but obscure the flavor of the dish; heat incorporated with spicing and texture can be sublime.
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12-01-2006 @ 7:55PM
bdw said...
I grew up with chiles too, in Colorado, and have been introduced to what the Indonesians, Indians, Pakistanis, and Southeast Asians have done with them as well. It will be interesting to see what the European traditionists will accomplish now that they have "discovered" them five centuries after Columbus "discovered" them. There are literally hundreds of Mexican varieties with a wide range of flavors; I do wonder just how many or how few the new foodies will avail themselves of.
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12-01-2006 @ 11:57PM
Spitzmaus said...
As bdw points out, Mexican is not the only chili-focused cuisine, and I was remiss not to mention others; indeed, a recent meal at Junnoon (similar to NYC's Tabla) in Palo Alto featured some of the richest, most complex chili blends I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. And yes, it remains to be seen how the "new garlic" is incorporated into the uber-foodie world.
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