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 or Korean hot peppers, also known as Korean red, Korean dark green, or Korean long green peppers according to color (ripening stages), are medium-sized chili peppers of the species Capsicum annuum. The chili pepper is long, slender and mild in flavor and spice. Green (unripe) chili peppers measure around 1,500 Scoville heat units.
Names
In Korean, the chili peppers are most often called gochu (고추), which means "chili pepper". Green ones are called put-gochu (풋고추), and red ones are called hong-gochu (홍고추).
Introduction to Korea
Chili peppers, which originated in the Americas, were introduced by Portuguese traders to Korea, via Japan, in the late 16th century. The first mention of chili pepper in Korea is found in Collected Essays of Jibong, an encyclopedia published in 1614. Farm Management, a book from ca. 1700, discussed the cultivation methods of chili peppers.
Culinary use
Gochugaru
Gochugaru, also known as Korean chili powder, is chili powder or flakes used in Korean cuisine. The name "gochugaru" derived from Korean gochu-garu (고춧가루; gochutgaru), where gochu (고추) means "chili pepper" and garu (가루) means "powder". In English, gochugaru usually refers to the seedless, Korean variety of chili powder. It has a vibrant red color, the texture may vary from fine powder to flakes, and the heat level from mildly hot to very hot. Traditionally made from sun-dried Korean red chili peppers (called taeyang-cho), gochugaru has a complex flavor profile with spicy, sweet, and slightly smoky tastes. Gochugaru made from Cheongyang chili peppers is finer and 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
