Chile Pepper Fun Fact - The Peter Pepper
Giggle away. It’s ok. That’s the nature of the peter pepper. When you see it, you can’t ignore its shape. It looks like a man’s penis. There’s a reason it’s called peter pepper, as well as Chilly Willy and simply penis pepper, too. But once you get past the laughs, there’s a pretty significant hot pepper here – a solid medium heat, hotter than a jalapeño (10,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units.) In fact, it’s a terrific alternative to a serrano pepper, if you can find it available near you.
The Peter Pepper is an heirloom chile pepper known for its unusual phallic shape. Despite its giggle-worthy appearance, it is a fairly hot pepper, reaching up to 30,000 Scoville Heat Units. It’s as versatile as the jalapeño. It especially makes a terrific salsa chili and it’s well-known to make an excellent chili powder, but nearly any dish that calls for a jalapeño or serrano is fair game for the peter pepper.