Chili peppers (Crushed)

Aside from the textural contrast, crushed chili pepper differs from powdered chili pepper in that the former includes dried seeds.

Also commonly called crushed red pepper, just a dash adds a lot of spice and heat to sausage, pizza, pasta sauce and other foods. And here’s an interesting tip: leftovers or dishes made a day in advance will have fierier flavor because more oleoresin capsicum, the active compound in peppers, will be released into the food.

crushed chili pepper

These plants have been grown for food for centuries, which has resulted in numerous cultivars. In fact, there are five domesticated species of chili pepper currently in cultivation. This one is Capsicum annuum, which also includes bell peppers and jalapeños.

The common name of “chili” is derived from the language of the Nahuatl, formerly known as the Aztecs. The fruits were so central to the Aztec way of life that ritual fasting was defined as going without salt and chili peppers.