Adjuma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adjuma |
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| Species | Capsicum chinense |
| Cultivar | 'Adjuma' |
| Heat |  Very hot |
| Scoville scale | 100,000 – 500,000 SHU |
The Adjuma pepper, also known as adjoema, aji umba, or ojemma, is a type of chili pepper. It comes from Brazil in South America. These peppers look like small bell peppers and can be red or yellow.
Sometimes, Adjuma peppers are sold as Madame Jeanette peppers, but they are actually different kinds. They are also often confused with habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers because they look similar and have a similar level of heat.
Contents
All About the Adjuma Pepper
Adjuma peppers are part of the Capsicum chinense plant family. This family includes many hot peppers.
What is a Chili Pepper?
A chili pepper is the fruit of a plant from the Capsicum family. These fruits are known for their spicy taste. The spiciness comes from a chemical called capsaicin. People around the world use chili peppers in cooking. They add flavor and heat to many dishes.
Where Does Adjuma Come From?
The Adjuma pepper originally comes from Brazil. Brazil is a large country in South America. Chili peppers have been grown in South America for thousands of years. They were an important part of the food for ancient civilizations. Today, Adjuma peppers are grown in many warm places.
How Hot is Adjuma?
Adjuma peppers are considered very hot. Their heat is measured using the Scoville scale. This scale tells us how much capsaicin is in a pepper. Adjuma peppers can range from 100,000 to 500,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). To give you an idea, a regular jalapeño pepper is usually around 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. This means Adjuma peppers are much hotter than a jalapeño!
What Does Adjuma Look Like?
Adjuma peppers are usually small. They are shaped a bit like tiny bell peppers. They can be bright red or sunny yellow when they are ripe. Their smooth, shiny skin makes them look very appealing.
How Are Adjuma Peppers Used?
Because they are so hot, Adjuma peppers are often used carefully in cooking. They are popular in Caribbean cuisine and South American dishes. People use them to make spicy sauces, marinades, and stews. Just a small piece can add a lot of heat and a fruity flavor to food. They are also sometimes dried and ground into chili powder.
Adjuma's Look-Alikes
It can be tricky to tell Adjuma peppers apart from other hot peppers. They are often confused with Habanero and Scotch Bonnet peppers. This is because all three peppers are very hot and have similar shapes and colors. However, each one has its own unique flavor and slight differences in appearance. Madame Jeanette is another pepper that looks similar, but it is a distinct variety.
See also
In Spanish: Adjuma para niños
