Jalapenos VS> Serranos

February 12, 2010 at 5:56 pm #12751

Participant

Hello all,

I’m new to the board. I am not a science major, but I love the natural sciences.

Anyway, one thing that really bothers me is when someone gives out false information. So I decided to ask a community like this their opinions on this first.

So, my wife is a culinary student and her chef tells the classes that jalapenos and serranos are the same thing. The exact same thing, and that botanists can’t prove her wrong. She challenges everyone to prove her wrong. Some students even back her up saying that they are the same plant. I know that all peppers are similar capsasium plants, but surely there’s a way to prove that they are actually different besides the obvious fact that serranos are way hotter (if you’ve ever tried them you would know!). To go even further she says that even botanists will tell you that a jalapeno is just a pickled serrano! I find this to be completely unbelievable, but I am no scientist.

Any thoughts on this would be GREAT help. References would be nice if available. All the information I find just says that all peppers are more or less the same. I hope I’m not offending anyone with my complete lack of knowledge on the subject.

Thanks to anyone who shares.

-Kelley T.

February 12, 2010 at 7:35 pm #97554

JackBean

Participant

I don’t get you. Why should botanists prove her wrong, if she’s not?
Her teacher says, they are the same and she challenges everyone to prove HER wrong?

Anyway, apparently they are the same
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalape%C3%B1o
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serrano_pepper

February 12, 2010 at 10:13 pm #97562

heartkore

Participant

Certainly no botanist should prove her wrong if she’s not. I never said they should, but I obviously took the stance that they seem to be different plants based on what I have observed. Why are they sold differently / look different / taste different, etc.? I just wanted to know if she is correct or not. She is the one that challenges anyone to prove her wrong. She may be right but I don’t have the know-how to prove either. Do you think they are the same plant? Maybe I am missing something. Are "jalapeno" and "serrano" just two words for the same plant at different stages of life or something?

February 12, 2010 at 10:15 pm #97563

heartkore

Participant

Sorry I think I see the confusion. Yes, the teacher says, and challenges anyone to prove herself wrong that jalapenos and serranos are the same plant. Based on how they look when young / how the taste / and how they are marketed, I have always been under the impression that they are different plants. I am just trying to ask a more knowledgeable community about the matter.

Thanks again.

February 12, 2010 at 10:17 pm #97564

heartkore

Participant

Also Jack, linking to a wiki page that does not cite or have any references is not very reliable in my opinion. (i.e.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serrano_pepper )

February 12, 2010 at 10:19 pm #97565

heartkore

Participant

And sorry to spam my own thread but you say apparently they are the same, but on that questionable serrano wiki page it compares them to jalapenos, not saying they are the same in any way. It just says that serranos are hotter according to the Scoville scale.

February 12, 2010 at 11:39 pm #97567

heartkore

Participant

"Apparently" they are not the same, but different cultivars of the species Capsicum Annuum, have different lengths, origins, and reatings on the Scoville scale.

I suppose I answered my own question. I guess most people think that if it’s the same species, it is the same plant.

February 13, 2010 at 10:32 am #97571

JackBean

Participant

Look at the bottom of Serrano page. They are both listed under C. annum. That means, that they belong to the same species, but are different cultivars.
Now, there is question, what you mean by the same thing, species, cultivar, actual thing?

February 13, 2010 at 3:59 pm #97579

mith

Participant

@kelley, there’s an edit button on each post btw.

I found two more sources since you like your stuff cited. Anyways, I’ve never seen anyone so worked up about chilis and I really don’t think the teach was trying to be obstinate about having someone prove her wrong. However, one way you can approach this is to say you won’t find serranos and jalapenos growing on the same plant…naturally, unless we’re talking about some grafting.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr= … no&f=false

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