Just like you wouldn’t want to confuse Coke with Pepsi, let’s not confuse your habanero peppers with your Scotch Bonnet peppers. From this article from the Jamaica Gleaner news:

The Scotch bonnet pepper (Capsicum chinense)

Scotch bonnet is a variety of chilli or chilli pepper, similar to, and of the same species as, the habanero. It is said to be the hottest pepper in the world. It is found mainly in the Caribbean islands. It is said that Scotch bonnet got its name from its shape that is similar to that of an old-fashioned Scottish bonnet. It is also said that they are the hottest peppers in the world. And it has a heat rating of 150,000 to 325,000 Scoville Units ( a method to measure the heat level in chilli pepper developed by a chemist, Wilbur Scoville in 1912)

The Scotch bonnet is often confused with the habanero, as they are closely related. They are a pale yellow-green maturing to yellow, orange or red and have bell-shaped squashed-looking ribbed pods. Scotch bonnets have a somewhat smoky apple-cherry and tomato flavour (if you are able to discern a flavour under all of that fiery heat). Scotch bonnets are grown mostly in Jamaica and Belize.

In Barbados they are called ‘bonnie peppers’ and they are a key ingredient in Lottie’s Barbadian hot pepper sauces, while in Jamaica they are used in jerk chicken or pork and a favourite in curried goat. The whole green ones are usually added to rice and peas to add a rich flavour to it that most Jamaican has come to love. Though they are used in a large quantity in curried goat, eaten raw they are may cause dizziness, numbness of hands and cheeks, and severe heartburn.

Dizziness? Has anyone out there ever gotten dizzy from eating Scotch bonnet peppers? We can attest to the severe heartburn and even some tingling of the hands (when unwise enough to touch ‘em with bare hands), but it would be stretching it to say that dizziness has been a part of the tasting profile. In the right sauce or recipe, many “bonnies” sacrifice themselves for some tasty Jerk dishes. Sounds good to us!!

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