Chiltepin (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum): The Chiltepin pepper usually grows to about 3.5 feet tall and has been know to live between 30-50 years.
Throughout time the Chiltepin peppers have been used as both food and medicine for thousands of years by native peoples primarily for their richness of capsaicin. When eaten, the Chiltepin peper causes endorphins to be released in the brain, acting as natural painkillers. The capsaicin is also an antibacterial agent often used by the Pima Bajo people to treat stomach disorders. The leaves have also been mixed with alcohol to make a liniment for rheumatism by The Mayo Indians. The fruits were mixed with other fruits and chewed by The Tarahumara Indians to relieve headaches. The spice has also been used to preserve meats.
The Chiltepin pepper grows wild in the Southwestern United States along the canyon lands that extend along the US-Mexico border of the Sonoran region desert, and in fact are native to the United States. Chiltepin peppers grow through hard rocky soil along steep cliffs, making them virtually unaccessible to general public as the quest for these plants can be dangerous.
The Chiltepin pepper is unique for this because it is the only pepper that is native to the United States. There is evidence that suggests the Chiltepin pepper is the original wild chili that birthed all other chilies. It is often referred to as “the mother of all peppers”. Commonly known as chiltepin, Indian pepper, chiltepe, and chile tepin, or as turkey, bird’s eye, or even simply bird peppers, because they are eaten and redistributed by birds. In Nahuatl “Tepin” means “flea” and was probably named for its small size. The Chiltepin peppers are agriculturally protected by the US in three US national parks (Coronado National Forest, Big Bend National Park and Organpipe Cactus National Monument).
The Chiltepin is considered one of the most valuable peppers in the world costing about $100 per pound, much higher than a typical gourmet pepper which can cost about $10 per pound. The Chiltepin pepper was once the official pepper for the state of Texas but has been replaced by the jalapeno. While this is a loss for Texas, it still triumphs among First Nation peoples and is now called “the official native pepper”. Special rituals are still held today where families join together to harvest the wild chiltepin peppers in the challenging desert mountains. Native folklore suggests that all homes should include the dried pods and should not be without them.
While Chiltepin peppers are small they are extremely hot, being 10-40 times hotter than a jalapeño (measuring between 50,000 and 1,628,000 on the Scoville scale), which is why they are considered perfect for seasoning sun-dried as a condiment. The Chiltepin pepper is believed to be the ancestor of today’s Chile and the progenitor of the popular domesticated Pequin‘ pepper (C. annuum var. annuum) which it is often confused with, but the fruits of the Tepin are round while the Pequin is oval and has a pointy tip. The other parts of both plants are very different as well, but they are confused because of their small size.
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