Are Smoked Peppers Healthy to Use? Preview topic from our eBook

recipe from our eBook My Husban Makes Salsa!

Just as we dry fruits and vegetables to make them last longer and create concentrative flavors, chili peppers are also dried to preserve and intensify them. Thankfully, most chili peppers are simply air dried, either by way of sunshine, ovens, or with a dehydrator. Jalapeños and poblanos, however, because of their thick-skinned nature, are commonly dried by smoking.

Which Chili Peppers are Smoked?

Dried jalapeños become Chipotles and Moritas. Dried poblanos become Ancho and Mulato peppers. Chipotle peppers originate from the green skinned, unmatured jalapeños. Morita peppers are created from the fully matured, red skinned jalapeños. Similarly, Ancho peppers come from green skinned poblanos. Mulato peppers originate from fully matured brown-skinned poblanos.

Ancho peppers are not always smoked but Mulato peppers typically are. The reason? Once these peppers are fully matured, the next stage is rotting. Smoking matured poblanos will dry them much faster and extend their use for sale.

Any other type of pepper you find smoked, likely would have been processed that way for the flavoring goals, not because they were hard to dry.

Are There Risks Consuming Smoked Foods?

Studies exist correlating the health effects of consuming smoked foods, particularly with meats and processed foods. Epidemiological studies have linked an increased risk of intestinal cancer with the frequent intake of smoked foods due to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (also known as PAH) that are deposited into the food. Chili peppers however, are usually consumed in far lower proportions than other denser and caloric rich foods, such as meat. The factors affecting PAH formation in smoked foods vary:

• Smoking temperatures used: the higher the temperatures, the greater the PAH formation

• Duration of smoking: the longer chili peppers are smoked, the greater the PAH accumulated.

• Type of wood used: Hardwoods such as oak and hickory produce less PAH's that softer woods such as pine.

• Smoke density: thicker smoke contains higher PAH concentrations

• Distance from the smoking source: Foods placed closer to the source of combustion will accumulate more PAH's.

• Food characteristics: smoking foods with higher fat and larger surface areas such as meat will accumulate more PAH's. Chili peppers are practically fat free and don't have a large surface area, both of which help to minimize the accumulation of PAH's.

Nevertheless, a risk is a risk, and with all the other cumulative toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis, eating cleaner has become essential. At any rate, if our diet is not habitually filled with entrees from the Standard American Diet, occasionally enjoying a spicy sauce using smoke dried peppers shouldn't be a cause for concern.

Which Peppers are Smoked the Less?

Morita vs Chipotle Meco: Morita Chipotle peppers are matured red jalapeños and smoked for a shorter length of time than the brownish grey, drier type of the Meco. This is apparent by their maintained softness, color, and flavor. In order to avoid the heavily smoked peppers, check for softness and color of the pepper. You can also just exchange out the smoked peppers for dried peppers that have a naturally smoked flavor. In our eBook, we've included a Chili Pepper Comparison Chart that lists many of the dried peppers we've used along with flavor profiles to help you identify which ones have a naturally smoked flavor.

Spanish Paprika: Besides being smoked with oak wood, did you know Spanish paprika can also be smoked with tobacco leaves? Not all Spanish paprika products are dried this way, but this could make anyone concerned wonder if the "gourmet" bought from Spain sitting in the kitchen cabinet, was processed this way.

To avoid smoked paprika in your recipes, use unsmoked Spanish paprika. New Mexican ground Chimayo chili powder is another excellent substitute as well. Chimayo gets its name from where it comes from, a small village in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This part of New Mexico is drier than other part of the state which helps to cultivate a pepper that tastes earthier and smokier than other New Mexican chilies.

For more information about comparing and using chili peppers for health and flavor, visit our site's page to provide more details about our eBook below.

Our eBook: My Husband Makes Salsa!

Written by Lupita Ronquillo, founder of Vegan Health and Yoga

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Sources:

Food Safety Institute: Carcinogens in Smoked foods: Understanding PAHs and PAAs https://foodsafety.institute/food-toxicology-public-health/carcinogens-in-smoked-foods-pahs-paas/