On Columbus Street in San Francisco there is a restaurant called “The Stinking Rose” and just in case one is in any doubt from three blocks away, it has the words “A Garlic Restaurant” appended to the sign. I ate there once on a Wednesday evening in 2000, enjoying a starter of slow roast garlic, a main of garlic and wild mushroom lasagne followed by garlic ice cream with chocolate mole sauce all accompanied by a garlic Semillon blanc. When I arrived back home and stepped through the front door on the following Saturday morning my wife called from the kitchen, “Did you have garlic on the plane by any chance?”
I must confess I still blush at the thought of the following two days of meetings, taxis and aircraft during which I’d inflicted my reeking presence on others. Still, it was a fine supper!
There are certain ingredients inspire that almost nerd-like dedication that led to the creation of such a restaurant. Chocolate does it, cheese does it. Even rotting fish does it for some Swedes. There is a kind of obsessive uber-geekiness attached to some culinary pursuits. Now, although I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as having these nerd-like tendencies, I’m sure others certainly might describe me that way and, well, if the cap fits…
One ingredient that has always held a particular fascination for me is the not-so-humble chilli pepper. I’m not alone, either. In one supermarket I recently found over eighty chilli sauces, pastes, dips, dressings and powders. Not just ingredients that contained chilli but products that led on the fact that there were chilli this or chilli that. Is there any other ingredient on the shelf in such a profusion of costumes? And it seems it’s all because of one little property, the burn!
Several million Scovilles worth of serious chillis!
Since my university days I’ve had a bit of a thing for plants, and particularly their chemical products called “secondary metabolites”. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Don’t all students have a fascination with certain chemicals produced by plants? Well, perhaps but that’s not what I’m talking about.
“Secondary metabolites” are all the chemicals that plants manufacture that are not directly involved in energy production and growth, hence the “secondary” label. Every scent, every flavour, every colour, every poison and every narcotic produced by plants has evolved to attract, deter, reward, punish or in some cases even consume a particular species of animal. It was the fact that the vast majority of the chemistry that goes on in plants is key to these animal/plant interactions that I interested me. I signed up for a course called “Secondary Metabolism in Plants” only to find it was cancelled for economic reasons. Too few students wanted to take a module that was, for me, probably the main reason for studying biological sciences. Still that was nearly a quarter of a century ago. One day I hope to be able to fill that gap.
Of the things I managed to pick up in the meantime, however is that plants of the genus Capsicum produce a chemical called 8-Methyl-N-vanillyl-trans-6-nonenamide. Mercifully it is also known as “capsaicin.” Present in high concentrations around the seeds of ripe Capsicum fruit capsaicin binds to the pain receptors of mammals causing a burning sensation, without, incidentally, doing actual harm. Birds, however, adore chillis, are attracted by the bright red, glossy fruit and are unaffected by the capsaicin, if not attracted by it.
It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Mammals will destroy the seeds by chewing up the fruit with powerful sets teeth. Whereas birds will swallow the seeds whole whilst attacking the fruit and pass them complete with neat little packets of fertiliser. Capsicum has evolved to deter mammals and attract birds. Clever little pepper!
Only dumb mammals and smart birds enjoy a feast of chillis
So much I already knew. But wanting to find out more I made a trip to visit the brilliant and charming Michael and Joy Michaud at their home in West Bexington from where they operate Sea Spring Seeds and Peppers by Post. A modest sounding company, perhaps, yet they grow literally dozens of varieties of peppers and the most astonishing tomatoes and herbs. And what peppers! Famous for the Dorset Naga, probably the hottest chilli on the planet, Michael and Joy are justifiably equally proud of the quality and range of all their peppers. I guess growing the hottest peppers get’s one coverage whereas growing the best pepper wouldn’t. Fortunately these guys do both.
Michael selects a few peppers for tasting
If there is ever any suspicion in your mind that the chilli pepper is a one-trick-pony of a vegetable then you should try some of the amazing varieties that Michael and Joy grown including some that they have developed themselves.
There are cultivars galore from the classic cayenne, Anaheim and pimiento de pardon to the new and delightful Sparkler and Fairy Light varieties.
The gorgeous fairy light cultivar
I was introduced to the whole range from green bell peppers the size of rugby balls to perfectly spherical, scarlet, pea-sized chillis. From the glossy black to palest peach, from mild and sweet to quite indescribably hot.
Michael is actually working on a cultivar that might well take the title from the Naga. He presented me with an innocuous looking pale orange fruit that he’d split open. A fingertip wiped once on the cut edge of the fruit and then wiped across the tongue was like eating a entire vindaloo! I mean that is some serious heat!
I thought I knew a lot about chillis but an hour with Michael and Joy was an education!
The beauty and elegance of the hundreds of poly-tunnelled plants with their cascades of jewel-like fruit, the enthusiasm and dedication of Michael and Joy, the sheer pleasure of being amongst such an array of amazing plants – not to mention the single finest tomato I have ever tasted in my life – all combined to create quite a memorable morning.
A smart mammal and a dumb mammal with chillis
Laden with a dozen different varieties and looking forward to making some cracking salsas and sauces I took my leave of the Michauds with a warm glow inside, for all sorts of reasons.
Buy your chilli seeds from Michael and Joy at www.seaspringseeds.co.uk and your peppers from them at www.peppersbypost.biz
Beautiful purple peppers. One of Sea Spring Seeds' many excellent varieties
