Habanero and Scotch Bonnet
Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets are two gastronomical delights known for their tropical fruity flavours and fiery reputations! Both pod-types are closely related and belong to the Capsicum chinense species, which is one of the five domesticated Capsicum species, the other four being C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. frutescens and C. pubescens. Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets come in a multitude of colours, ranging from deep chocolate brown to creamy yellow-white. Habanero chillies are more synonymous with the Yucatán Peninsula, which is the world's largest producer of Habaneros, and Scotch Bonnet chillies are more synonymous with the Caribbean.
What Is the Difference between Habanero and Scotch Bonnet?
People sometimes get confused between Habanero and Scotch Bonnet, often times believing that the names can be used interchangeably to refer to chilli peppers of a certain size that belong to the Capsicum chinense species. Although both pod-types belong to the same species and share similar heat and flavour profiles, the most noticeable difference between the two is the fruit shape.
Habanero chillies range in size from about 1–1.5-inches wide and 1.5–2-inches in length. The fruit has a rounded top and is somewhat lantern-shaped and blocky and normally tapered to a blunt tip. The walls are mostly straight but in some instances they may also have one or two indentations. Many chilli aficionados believe that the Habanero is a distinct pod-type from the Yucatán Peninsula and claim that a Habanero should always have the same phenotype as that of the Orange Habanero in order for it to be classified as a genuine Habanero. Other people just associate Habanero with the Capsicum chinense species and believe they can be any shape or size.
A good example of this is the Peruvian White Habanero, an extremely hot variety belonging to Capsicum chinense species which produces very different shaped fruit to that of the Orange Habanero. Some purists would argue that the Peruvian White Habanero is not a Habanero at all and that the label of 'Habanero' should not be affixed to its name. They see it as being a bit like referring to a Jalapeño as a Cayenne. Although both pod-types belong to the C. annuum species, the two are very different in shape, size and sometimes pungency. Over the course of time, many seed sellers began prefixing or affixing the label of 'Habanero' onto the names of many Capsicum chinense varieties, and as a result the names just stuck. In the past, some seed sellers have even referred to the Trinidad 7-Pot as '7-Pot Habanero'.
Scotch Bonnet chillies are plumper than Habanero chillies and typically range in size from about 1.5–2-inches in diameter. They are graded according to their size, shape and colour, which should ideally be fairly uniform and typical of the variety. Although the fruit is often bulbous with three or more distinct lobes, sometimes resembling that of a miniature pumpkin, the classic Scotch Bonnet shape looks similar to that of a cup and saucer or a tam o' shanter hat, a type of flat bonnet worn in Scotland, thus the name — 'Scotch Bonnet'. Scotch Bonnet chillies which have the true form or classic phenotype would be categorised as grade 1, whereas those with more of a bulbous or small pumpkin-like appearance would be categorised as grade 2 or grade 3, depending on their size, shape and colour uniformity.
You're more likely to find Scotch Bonnet chillies for sale at UK supermarkets than you are Habaneros. More often than not, the ones being sold at supermarkets won't have the classic Scotch Bonnet phenotype either, but instead will have more of a bulbous or pumpkin-like appearance. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Scotch Bonnet from Jamaica, which is available in colours yellow or red, has the classic Scotch Bonnet phenotype. Just like Habaneros, Scotch Bonnet chillies come in a multitude of colours and some well known varieties include: Burkina Yellow, Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet, Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet, Bahamian Goat, Scotch Bonnet Brown, Moruga Red, MOA Scotch Bonnet Yellow and MOA Scotch Bonnet Red.
Habanero and Scotch Bonnet: Flavour and Pungency
Due to the fact that Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets belong to the same species and are very close cousins, they share similar heat and flavour profiles. Chillies belonging to the Capsicum chinense species have a unique flavour that can best be described as tropical, fruity, citrusy, slightly floral and slightly sweet. However, there are some Peruvian Capsicum chinense varieties that have less of the aforementioned flavours. While all of these flavours can be used to accurately describe the flavour profile of Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets, Scotch Bonnets tend to have a bit more sweetness than Habaneros. Habaneros can sometimes have a slight floral note, and the fruit of some varieties can also have subtle smoky undertones when overripe. Both pod-types have an awesome aroma and flavour and can be used interchangeably if need be.
Living up to their fiery reputation, Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets share a similar pungency, which ranges from about 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). However, some varieties have also been measured at higher levels. The Chocolate Habanero, also known as 'Brown Habanero', is one of the hottest Habanero varieties in the world, with an average Scoville scale rating of about 425,000 SHU. According to the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Moruga Red, a Scotch Bonnet-type from Trinidad and Tobago, can be as hot as 500,000 SHU. The Guinness World Record holder for world's hottest chilli prior to the Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) was a Habanero variety called Red Savina, which had supposedly been measured at 577,000 SHU, putting it just a notch below the level of superhot. Although Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets are not what chilli-heads would consider as being superhot varieties, they can still be extremely hot! Therefore, as with superhot varieties, one should always be careful when handling them and cooking with them. It's always advisable to wear gloves when chopping them to prevent the capsaicin from coming into contact with your skin.
How Are Habanero Chillies and Scotch Bonnet Chillies Used?
Whether pit-roasted (pibil) and added whole to stews and soups or finely chopped and added to fiery salsas, such as the much-loved Xni-Pec salsa, Habaneros are an integral part of Yucatecan cuisine and they normally accompany every meal, in one form or another. They are also used to make pepper mash and hot sauces. The Yucatán Peninsula is the world's largest producer of Habanero chillies and exports to Europe, Asia and the USA. Other modern-day producers include Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and parts of the United States. It is said that fruits of Capsicum chinense plants grown in the Yucatán Peninsula have a unique flavour, aroma, pungency and colour due to the particularities of the soil. These soil properties can cause different types of stress to the plants, such as stress due to potassium (K) deficiency or water stress.
Scotch Bonnets, also known as 'Bonney or Scotty peppers', are widely used throughout the Caribbean to make hot sauces and salsas, as well as being used in the preparation of spicy chutneys, jams and jerk marinades. Sometimes, they are pierced added whole to stews and soups and then removed at the end of the cooking process. Leaving the peppers whole allows the flavour to be released into the food without releasing the full force of the heat. Along with thyme, Scotch Bonnet chillies are also one of the ingredients used in Jamaican chicken curries. Aside from being synonymous with Caribbean cuisine, Scotch Bonnet chillies are also used to a lesser extent in Sri Lankan, West African and Maldivian cuisines.
Habanero and the Cuba Connection
Although the general consensus is that the Habanero comes from the Yucatán Peninsula, the name 'Habanero' actually means something or someone from 'La Habana (Havana)', Cuba. Havana is a major trading port situated on the northern coast of Cuba. It was founded by the Spanish in 1519 and lies approximately 316 miles away from Cancún on the Yucatán Peninsula. By 1521, the Spanish had already conquered Mexico, and therefore it's theorised that Habanero chillies may have been shipped across to Cuba from the Yucatán Peninsula by the Spanish and that Havana was the port in which they were first heavily traded from, thus the name — 'Habanero'. However, whatever the case may be, nowadays Habanero chillies are seldom used in Cuban cuisine.
Although the Habanero is synonymous with Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula region, the species to which it belongs (Capsicum chinense), is a tropical species that spread northwards from its place of origin in the Amazon Basin, through Peru and then eventually to the Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean. The remains of an intact domesticated Habanero chilli were found in the Guitarrero Cave in Peru, and dated to around 6,500 BC, implying that the specimen was around 8,500 years old! How the species spread northwards from its place of origin isn't fully understood, but the two most plausible explanations would be migrating birds or migrating tribes, such as the Taíno and the Caribs, both of whom migrated north from the South American mainland to what is now the Caribbean.
During their migration north, it's plausible that both groups would have taken with them dried fruits and seeds of valuable plants, such as dried fruits or seed belonging to the Capsicum chinense species, among others. By the time the Capsicum chinense species was well established on the Yucatán Peninsula it's also possible that it was well established in parts of the Caribbean too, including Cuba. Another possibility is that Habanero chillies may have been spread to parts of the Caribbean by migrating birds, which are the primary dispersal vectors for wild chilli pepper seeds.