OSU releases two cool (not hot) habanero pepper varieties

Here’s some good news for fans of new flavors: A scientist at Oregon State University has created two mild habanero pepper varieties.

Jim Myers works in vegetable breeding and genetics at OSU. On a recent visit to the experimental farm where the peppers were planted, he said he wanted the “Notta Hotta” and “Mild Thing” peppers to grow well in the Pacific Northwest and retain the subtle, floral flavor of a habanero while downplaying the “heat.”

Both peppers are fruity, with a hint of lingering spice on the tongue.

Myers said, to put them in perspective, these peppers rank at about 500 to 1,000 on the Scoville heat scale. Regular Habanero peppers are between 100,000 and 300,000. He said 1,000 is the equivalent of an Anaheim or mild poblano pepper.

He said the peppers have already been a featured ingredient at some culinary events.

“Chefs have done things that totally blow my mind,” Myers told KLCC. “(They’ve) made an orange sherbet with them, or used them to make a soda. So they work in dessert-type items, but you can also put them in the traditional ceviche seafood or tostada.” He said chefs have enjoyed using the peppers’ flavor, and being able to modify the heat to the level they want in their dishes.

It’s taken 25 years for these peppers to be approved for licensing and selling to seed companies. Myers said 10 years is a typical development cycle, but that he’s had other projects in progress that pushed this one to the side. He said it takes about six generations, or years, of growing to make sure the traits are fixed and the peppers won’t vary when they’re propagated.

Myers said the peppers are cleared to be released to seed companies and chefs. So, look for them in catalogs and on menus next year.