# Peperoncino

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{{Short description|Italian name for hot chili pepper}}
{{Redirect|Peperoncini|the sweet pepper sometimes known as pepperoncini|Friggitello}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Infobox pepper
| name     = ''Peperoncino''
| image    = Capsicum -Chili - Peperoncino - Il Viagra Calabrese - Calabria - Italy - July 17th 2013 - 02.jpg
| caption  = ''Peperoncini'' for sale at a market of [Tropea](/source/Tropea) in Calabria, Italy
| heat     = Hot
| scoville = 15,000–30,000
}}

'''''Peperoncino''''' ({{IPA|it|peperonˈtʃiːno|lang}}; {{plural form}}: ''peperoncini'') is the generic [Italian](/source/Italian_language) name for a hot [chili pepper](/source/chili_pepper), specifically some regional [cultivar](/source/cultivar)s of the species ''[Capsicum annuum](/source/Capsicum_annuum)'' and ''[C. frutescens](/source/Capsicum_frutescens)'' (chili pepper and Tabasco pepper, respectively).{{sfn|Riley|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-HStec87HdcC&pg=PT151 124]}} (The suffix "ino" means smaller; the larger [sweet bell pepper](/source/sweet_bell_pepper) is called ''peperone'' ({{plural form}}: ''peperoni'') in Italian.){{sfnm|Sinclair|1998|1p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fnveo8cyxKkC&pg=PA404 404]|Orsini|2015|2p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=cWk5BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 49]}} Like most chili peppers, the fruit is green or yellowish-green when young, and ripens to a red colour.

==History==
The ''peperoncino'' probably came to Italy around the 15th century, when [southern Italy](/source/southern_Italy) was under Spanish dominion. It was likely an export from the new world among other plants new to Europe, such as the tomato. Like the [tomato](/source/tomato), the ''peperoncino'' was first considered a decorative and possibly poisonous plant before it was adopted into [Italian cuisine](/source/Italian_cuisine). It might have become popular as a food long before the cookbooks attest to its use; these cookbooks were written for the upper classes, while the ''peperoncino'' was a cheap and convenient food for the lower classes.{{sfn|Riley|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-HStec87HdcC&pg=PT151 124]}}

[Pietro Andrea Mattioli](/source/Pietro_Andrea_Mattioli) first described ''peperoncini'' in 1568 and mentioned how much hotter they were than other varieties of [pepper](/source/Piper_(plant)) from Asia. The earliest surviving published use of ''peperoncino'' in a recipe dates to a 1694 cookbook by the Italian chef [Antonio Latini](/source/Antonio_Latini). In his recipe for ''[salsa](/source/Salsa_(food)) alla spagnola'', chopped ''peperoncini'', tomatoes, and some onion are combined with [peppermint](/source/peppermint), salt, and oil, to be served as a [relish](/source/relish).{{sfn|Riley|2007|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-HStec87HdcC&pg=PT151 124–125]}}

==Culinary use==
[[File:4625 - Peperoncino piccante al mercato di Ortigia, Siracusa - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 20 marzo 2014.jpg|thumb|Crushed ''peperoncini'' sold at a market in [Syracuse, Sicily](/source/Syracuse%2C_Sicily)]]
In Italian cuisine ''peperoncini'' are used with moderation and the flavour is considered more important than the heat. As a consequence the [Scoville rating](/source/Scoville_scale) serves only as a rough guide to the heat, which is quite varied among the different cultivars.{{sfn|Riley|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-HStec87HdcC&pg=PT153 126]}} A typical ''peperoncino'' from [Calabria](/source/Calabria) rates 15,000{{sfn|Bressanini|2005}} to 30,000{{sfn|Farnetti|2015}} on the Scoville scale.

The ''peperoncino'' is especially important in [Calabrian cuisine](/source/Calabrian_cuisine). In late summer, ''peperoncini'' are stitched on wires and hung from buildings. They are left to dry in spots with sunlight and ventilation to conserve them, allowing their use in cooking until the next harvest. They are eaten whole, fried until crisp, crushed, [pickled](/source/pickled), powdered or as a paste.{{sfn|Bastianich|Manuali|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5FFNoSioPmcC&pg=PA324 324]}} Notable Calabrian dishes which use ''peperoncini'' are the condiments ''bomba calabrese'', [chili oil](/source/chili_oil) and the spreadable pork sausage ['nduja](/source/'Nduja). It is also used in dishes of other regional cuisines of [southern](/source/Southern_Italy) and [central](/source/Central_Italy) Italy, such as the [Roman](/source/Roman_cuisine)-style [arrabbiata sauce](/source/arrabbiata_sauce) and the [Apulian](/source/Apulian_cuisine) ''[orecchiette](/source/orecchiette) alle cime di rapa'' (orecchiette pasta with [broccoli rabe](/source/Rapini)).

While most [crushed red pepper](/source/crushed_red_pepper) (a common component of spicy Italian-style cuisine and frequently sprinkled on [pizza](/source/pizza) and other dishes) in North America is today made from [cayenne](/source/Cayenne_pepper) or [jalapeño](/source/jalape%C3%B1o) peppers common in that region, some specialty markets there supply imported Italian red ''peperoncino'' flakes.

==Culture==
{{Refimprove section|date=March 2025}}
Since 1992 the annual Peperoncino Festival has been held in the town of [Diamante, Calabria](/source/Diamante%2C_Calabria). Organised by the Accademia Italiana del Peperoncino, the festival now attracts tens of thousands of visitors. It is held for four days surrounding the first weekend of September on the town's seaside [promenade](/source/Esplanade). The festival has a large market where local food products made with ''peperoncini'' are sold, and hosts a ''peperoncino''-[eating contest](/source/Competitive_eating).{{sfn|DeWitt|2014|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=cQAQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 91–92]}} Calabrian chili oil is a popular international export.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Matticchio Bastianich |first1=Lidia |last2=Bastianich Manuali |first2=Tanya |date=2009 |title=Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes |location=New York City |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |isbn=9780307273413 }}
* {{cite web |last=Bressanini |first=Dario |date=2005 |title=Tutti i gradi del peperoncino |publisher=Università dell'Insubria |language=it |url= http://scienze-como.uninsubria.it/bressanini/divulgazione/peperoncino.html }}
* {{cite book |last=DeWitt |first=David |date=2014 |title=Precious Cargo: How Foods from the Americas Changed the World |location=Berkeley |publisher=Counterpoint |isbn=9781619023888 }}
* {{cite web |last=Farnetti |first=Walter |date=27 February 2015 |title=La classifica dei peperoncini più piccanti del mondo |language=it |work=Agrodolce |url= http://www.agrodolce.it/2015/02/27/i-peperoncini-piu-piccanti-del-mondo/ }}
* {{cite book |last=Iannotti |first=Marie |date=2011 |title=The Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables: The 100 Easiest-to-Grow, Tastiest-to-Eat Vegetables for Your Garden |location=Portland, Oregon |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=9781604693843 }}
* {{cite book |last=Orsini |first=Joseph |date=2015 |title=Italian Family Cooking: Unlocking a Treasury of Recipes and Stories |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9781466892002 }}
* {{cite book |last=Riley |first=Gillian |date=2007 |title=The Oxford Companion to Italian Food |location=New York City |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198606178 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000rile }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Sinclair |editor-first=Charles Gordon |date=1998 |title=International Dictionary of Food and Cooking |location=Chicago |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers |isbn=9781579580575 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Chili peppers of Italy}}
* [http://www.peperoncino.org/ Accademia Italiana del Peperoncino] {{in lang|it}}
* [https://goodhealthyrecipe.com/peperoncino-picante-italiano/ Peperoncino, un ingrediente picante que debes usar] {{in lang|es}}

{{Capsicum Cultivars}}

Category:Cuisine of Calabria
Category:Chili peppers
Category:Capsicum cultivars
Category:Cuisine of Abruzzo
Category:Cuisine of Apulia
Category:Cuisine of Molise
Category:Cuisine of Lazio
Category:Cuisine of Campania
Category:Cuisine of Sicily
Category:Cuisine of Basilicata

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peperoncino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperoncino) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperoncino?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.