Pepper jelly facts for kids
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Jars of red pepper jelly
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| Course | Condiment |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Chili peppers, sugar and salt, pectin or vinegar |
Pepper jelly is a special kind of jelly that mixes sweet and spicy flavors. It's made using Chili peppers, sugar, and a little salt. It also uses pectin (a natural ingredient that helps things gel) or vinegar to give it a jelly texture.
This tasty spread became very popular in the United States from the 1980s to the mid-1990s. People love its unique blend of sweetness and a little bit of heat.
You can use pepper jelly in many ways! It's great on sandwiches, or you can spread it over cream cheese and serve it with crackers. Some people even use it to make a pepper jelly cheesecake!
Where Did Pepper Jelly Come From?
Pepper jelly first started in a place called Lake Jackson, Texas. It began to be sold in stores around the late 1970s. The very first recipes for pepper jelly probably used jalapeño peppers, which are a common type of chili pepper.
How Is Pepper Jelly Made?
The most common way to make pepper jelly involves a few key ingredients. These include jalapeños, bell peppers, pectin, sugar, and vinegar. Sometimes, people even add a little wine or liqueur for extra flavor.
Scientists have even done taste tests to find out which types of peppers make the best jelly. They looked at different peppers like Habanero, Biquinho, and Paprika. They found that peppers that weren't too spicy, like Biquinho and Paprika, were often the best. This is because they give the jelly a nice reddish color, a good pepper taste, and a sweet flavor without too much heat.
