Datil Chile

The datil chile, grown in and around St. Augustine Florida, is the oldest and perhaps the only variety of habanero (Capsicum chinense) naturalized in what is now the United States. Its fiery flavor is associated with the Minorcan ethnic group that was first settled in British Florida in 1768, and the name means “date”—the shape of all chinensis chilies—in Catalan. It was long thought that the Minorcans had brought the pepper from the Mediterranean, but there were no habanero types cultivated in Europe at the time. They may have acquired it in their initial coastal settlement at New Smyrna, Florida, or through later Caribbean trade. Minorcan descendents in and around St. Augustine use the chopped pepper directly or via a spicy vinegar in pilaus and seafood stews, and there are several local commercial brands of datil-based hot sauce.