A popular ingredient in Southwestern cooking, chiles, or hot peppers, add spice and interest to many foods. Some of the milder varieties are consumed as low calorie snacks.

The heat in chiles comes from capsaicinoids, substances that have no odor or flavor themselves but act directly on the mouth’s pain receptors. This results in teary eyes, runny nose (“salsa sniffles”), and sweating experienced by people who indulge in hotter varieties. Capsaicin and other capsaicinoids are concentrated mainly in the white ribs and seeds, which can be removed to produce a milder flavor.

Chiles are more nutritious than sweet peppers, and the red varieties generally have a higher nutritional content than the green ones.