Glossary

Habanero chillies are hot, hot, hot! There is a scale of heat in chillies from 1 to 10 and the habanero scores a whopping 10 out of 10, so beware! Try using them whole so that the flavour infuses dishes such as fish stews, chillies, jerk sauces and Caribbean curries. They are also good for making chutneys and chilli sauces. They are very similar to Scotch bonnets and Jamaican hot chillies (both of which score 9/10). It is very important to avoid contact with the eyes or any sensitive skin - even washing the hands after preparing chillis may not be enough to remove all the capsaicin, the volatile oil in the fruit that gives it its hot taste.