Louisiana is known for their hot food. I don’t believe that anywhere else in this fine country of ours will we find food quite like in Louisiana. Sure, Texas has adopted a lot of Mexican influence and uses Jalapeños as well as some other hot peppers. However, Louisiana, specifically Southern Louisiana, is just known for that fiery red pepper: Cayenne.

As a matter of fact, should you ask anyone around here to omit cayenne from their cooking and they will quickly tell you that the food will taste like nothing. Just enter any one of our fine eating establishments here in Baton Rouge and on the tables along with salt and pepper you will find a bottle of some brand of hot sauce!

So how did this little tantalizing pepper become such a strong part of Louisiana cuisine? In order to answer this question, we must take a quick look at the history of this pepper.

Cayenne can be traced back to 9,000 years ago. During this time, the Aztecs used it to flavor food and for healing properties. About 7,000 years ago, the first evidence of cultivation was discovered in Mexico. Our Native American ancestors were already using it for centuries before Christopher Columbus first came to the Americas.

Prior to any European setting foot in the Americas, that side of the world was not familiar with this spice. If you recall, when Christopher Columbus convinced the king and queen of Spain to support him in searching for a new route to India, it was to look for a shorter route to bring in spices to the European kitchen. So, when he first landed in the West Indies, he was expecting to find black pepper. Instead, he found this little red wonder. However, the pepper name stuck with them. He and his cronies went on to introduce this to the rest of the world.

As you recall, Louisiana was colonized for a time by the Spaniards. When they arrived here, they brought with them this pepper in some of their cuisine. While living here, they soon realized that the climate in this area was actually pretty good for growing peppers as well. And, thus, a legacy was born.

That answers the question of how it got to Louisiana, but if you are anything like me, you are still wondering how in the world the name came about. Well, ironically enough, it came from a town in Africa. After the Spaniards, the Portuguese had the chance to come to America and experience its rich variety of vegetation. They then took this pepper and introduced it to the African continent. Because the peppers are grown and are better suited to tropical and subtropical climates, they thrived there. It was in Africa that the city of Cayenne in French Guiana gave its name to the pepper.

Although this pepper boasts of having a very strong pungency, and it is thus very hot, it is not the hottest pepper out there. This title is reserved for that little yellow Scotch Bonnet, the habanero pepper. However, this is nothing to scoff about, on a scale from 1-10, the cayenne falls around 8!

It is believed that because it is so hot, that cayenne is bad for the health. This assumption could not be more incorrect. In fact, the total opposite is true! This pepper has been used throughout the centuries and all over the world for its healing properties. It contains vitamins A, B complex, C, E and K and also folic acid which work to cleanse the system and promote overall health and well being. It is known to help in the circulatory and digestive systems as well as help reduce fevers and inflammation.

Because we are lucky enough to have a climate that encourages the growth of this spice AND it is such an intricate part of our cuisine, we can find it anywhere around Baton Rouge.

Next time you eat any of the dishes that Louisiana has to offer, remember that the cayenne is there to help you out with digestion!

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