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Island Fever
Tastes &Tales of Cayman
Cayman Pepper Peeves

Barbara Currie Dailey

Clickhere for Barbaras Cayman Pepper Sauce

ScotchBonnets are one of the hottest "discoveries" on theNorth American food scene today. Celebrity chefs, like Allan Susserand Stephen Raichlen, are causing a sensation with searing creationsstarring our humble little peppers.

The latest issue of Chile Pepper magazinefeatures Chef Tell (aka Friedman Erhardt, now a restaurateur inBuck's County, Pennsylvania) touting the wonderful flavours ofthe Scotch Bonnet, his "far and away favorite" pepper.

Today, our nugget-size chile is appearingin everything from hauté cuisine to hot sauces and condiments.

So please explain why I have to beg forreal pepper with my meal whenever I eat out here in Cayman? Idon't mean to be inflammatory, but this is really a pet peeve.And, I'll bet it's a burning issue for many others too.

Now there are exceptions and I salute thoserestaurants. But lately, it seems that even those specialisingin "local food," never have any form of pepper on thetable. Where are those tempting jars full of vinegar and peppers?If you're lucky, there might be one hidden behind the counterby local staff.

When I ask for pepper, the server usuallypoints to a shaker filled with common ground black pepper. IfI request pepper sauce, I may get a bottle of that watery Louisianared stuff. Let me tell you: when a Caribbean national is offeredTabasco with Red Bean Soup, Stew Beef or Oxtail, it's an insult.

Here in Cayman, "pepper" meansthe Scotch Bonnet, Capsicum chinense, a nugget-sized chile shapedlike a wooly cap, coloured green, yellow, orange or red. The ScotchBonnet earned a wicked reputation as the world's hottest pepper(it has since lost that title) packing as much heat as 50 jalapenos.

It's famous for putting the fire jerk intoseasoning. But it's really the pepper' s wonderful, almost sultryflavour we crave even more than its heat.

Sometimes we prefer milder hybrids thatwe call "seasoning peppers" that have flavours withoutso much fire. Mutton peppers are fine at times for seasoning meatsand soups. But on our tables, there is no substitute for the ScotchBonnet. No habaneros, birds, goats, piment bouc, congos, booneys,jalapenos, anchos, datils, pepins or cayenne, please!

Maybe this is simply a cultural oversight.Or perhaps litigation-wary restaurateurs are worried about unsuspectingtourists and foreign residents tangling with incendiary seasoning.However, I have been in upscale Cayman restaurants catering totourists where "New World Fusion" recipes using ScotchBonnets resembled culinary arson. But there's no pepper allowedat the table.

Regardless of the nationality of the menuin hand or the culinary artistry of the dish in front of us, Caymaniansmay still want to add our own pepper.

This should never insult chefs. We're nottalking about ketchup here: we're talking about culture.

Hot peppers (often called chiles with an"e") have been the soul of Caribbean seasoning sincethe beginning of this region's recorded history - the Arawaksand Carib Indians were expert pepper-sauce makers.

Before they learned how to extract saltfrom the sea, the original West Indians flavoured fish, game andother food with coui, a fusion of hot peppers and cassava juice.Chiles were one of the first and most celebrated prizes Columbustook home to spice-crazed Europe from his first voyage, furtherfueling the Old World's fascination with pepper.

From Central America to Trinidad, Caribbeanpeople from many cultures have been seasoning with chiles forat least 600 years. This passion for peppers was the link betweenso many different cultures and cuisines - and that was for morethan mere taste. They are good for you, rich in Vitamin E andcapsaicin, which is responsible for remedies ranging from arthritis relief to routing the flu.

Traditional Caymanian cookery used onlya few simple seasonings like onions,escallion and thyme, andScotch Bonnet peppers played an important role.

Caymanian cooks discovered long ago thatit was the ideal complement to coconut milk. Paired with limejuice and salt, it had no equal for seasoning any kind of fish.

In earlier days, no Cayman home would bewithout a pepper "tree", either in a pot or in the ground-theybear year-round. Every table, whether home or restaurant, alwayshad a small dish of minced or sliced Scotch Bonnet and a glassjar filled with what we call pepper sauce. This potent potionis a fragrant fusion of Scotch bonnet peppers, vinegar, onions,and carrots, perhaps laced with garlic, all-spice berries andcho-cho slices. Its metal lid was encrusted with tell-tale black,signifying the sauce was ready to eat.

Today there is no excuse for any shortageof real pepper on Cayman tables. Look in our local supermarkets:there is a mass supply of Scotch Bonnets in the produce sections.Also, shelves are filled with a five-alarm collection of Caribbeanpepper sauces, including our own delicious local brands.

Tortuga Hell-Fire Hot Pepper Sauce topsthe list. Last year, Cayman's first-ever entry claimed ThirdPlace in the Authentic Caribbean Hot Sauce category of the FourthAnnual Scovie Awards, the Official Contest of the Fiery Foodsand Barbecue Industry.

Based in New Mexico, the organisation isconsidered the world's authority on chile-seasoned products,from barbecue sauces to sweets. Last year's international competitionwas the biggest so far. It drew 510 entries in 62 fiery food categories including salsas, hot pepper sauces, barbecue sauces, condiments,sauces and sweet heat products.

And tiny Cayman's own brand of Scotch Bonnetpepper sauce came out a star.

Restaurant people, please fix this. Honourour culinary heritage and put pepper back on the table where itbelongs - at every meal. And that includes breakfast - a dashor two of Scotch Bonnet sauce in cold orange juice could be thebeginning of a better day. And what a way to wake up dull scrambledeggs!

Pepper Tips

A whole Scotch Bonnet, minced, even withoutthe membrane and seeds, is a lot of heat. When you are ready toexperiment, start conservatively, using a very tiny amount, perhapsa few slivers - definitely not a whole minced pepper - in anyrecipe.

You can always add more later. Or use amilder mutton pepper - or if you are lucky enough to find one,use what we call "seasoning peppers," including hybridvarieties of Scotch Bonnet, that have the bold Scotch Bonnetflavour without the intense fire.

Use disposable or rubber gloves when handlingthe peppers and never touch your eyes, nose or any mucous membranesuntil you have removed the gloves and washed your hands.

To reduce pepper heat while retaining flavour,remove seeds and pale membranes or veins inside the pepper-thesecontain the most intense heat.

If you want to taste a tiny piece of freshpepper, put it in your mouth without touching your lips or youmay be in pain for some time!

If you get a pepper overdose, put out thefire with milk, sour cream, ice cream or any dairy product. Bread,rice and starchy foods also help absorb the capsaicin.

Are these peppers worth so much work - and possible pain? Absolutely. Many islanders swear good health requiresa dose of pepper every day.

Consuming huge quantities of Red Stripeor rum will not cure pepper afterburn... you just won't care anymore.
Barbara Currie Dailey is the author of Tortuga Rum Fever &Caribbean Party Cookbook, available throughout Cayman.

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