Korean chili pepper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Korean chili pepper |
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Green chili peppers
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| Species | Capsicum annuum |
| Origin | Korea |
| Heat |  Low |
| Scoville scale | 1,500 SHU |
Korean chili peppers are a type of chili pepper often used in Korean cooking. They are also known as Korean hot peppers. You might hear them called "Korean red," "Korean dark green," or "Korean long green" depending on their color as they ripen.
These peppers are medium-sized and belong to the Capsicum annuum plant family. They are long and thin, with a mild flavor and not too much spice. Green (unripe) Korean chili peppers have a heat level of about 1,500 Scoville heat units. This means they are quite mild compared to many other chili peppers.
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Different Names for Korean Chili Peppers
In the Korean language, these chili peppers are usually called gochu (고추). This word simply means "chili pepper."
When they are green and not yet ripe, people call them put-gochu (풋고추). If they are red and fully ripe, they are known as hong-gochu (홍고추).
How Chili Peppers Came to Korea
Chili peppers originally came from the Americas. They traveled to Korea thanks to Portuguese traders in the late 1500s. The traders brought them to Japan first, and then they made their way to Korea.
The very first time chili peppers were mentioned in Korea was in a book called Collected Essays of Jibong. This was an encyclopedia published in 1614. Later, around the year 1700, another book called Farm Management even talked about how to grow chili peppers.
Cooking with Korean Chili Peppers
Korean chili peppers are a key ingredient in many delicious Korean dishes. They add a unique flavor and a gentle warmth.
Gochugaru: Korean Chili Powder
One of the most famous ways Korean chili peppers are used is to make gochugaru. This is a special Korean chili powder or flakes. The name "gochugaru" comes from two Korean words: gochu (고추), meaning "chili pepper," and garu (가루), meaning "powder."
In English, gochugaru usually refers to the Korean type of chili powder that has no seeds. It has a bright red color. The texture can be a very fine powder or larger flakes. Its spiciness can range from mildly hot to very hot.
Traditionally, gochugaru is made from sun-dried Korean red chili peppers. These are called taeyang-cho. This gives gochugaru a rich flavor that is spicy, a little sweet, and slightly smoky. If gochugaru is made from Cheongyang chili peppers, it will be finer and much hotter.
Gallery
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Red (ripe) chili peppers
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Green (unripe) chili peppers
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Harvested green chili peppers
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Red chili peppers tied with saekki (straw ropes)
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Dried red chili peppers
