Jalapeño

Fresh or pickled (en escabeche, as it is called in Mexico, where only the pickled form is called jalapeño—pronounced ha-la-PAY-nyo), the deep-green little jalapeño, a hot chili indeed, is probably second to the Anaheim in familiarity and popularity in this country (perhaps because it has the best keeping qualities). Blunt-tipped, slightly tapered, it has unusually dense, rich flesh for a petite pepper. Occasionally it appears in the market in its mature red form, which, like the green, is prone to show a slight cracking or crazing along the length, particularly near the stem end.