Bottom Line: These marinated Calabrian Chili Peppers from Tutto Calabria pack a punch and you will find them quite addictive.
Chili peppers are often associated with Mexico and/or South America along with many Asian countries. But the fact is that ever since these were introduced throughout the world, they have become common in many regions and you can find them in almost any cuisine today. Most people do not connect Italian food with chili peppers, but the people in that country have been growing them and using the pods in their dishes for centuries, and the Calabrian chili peppers are a common variety starting to get more attention worldwide these days. If you would like to give them a try, the Tutto Calabria brand is definitely worth seeking out.
Calabrian chilis are small, red peppers native to the southern Italian region of . . . you guessed it . . . Calabria. They have a spicy, fruity flavor and are often used in the cuisine of that region and beyond, particularly in sauces, pizzas, and antipasti. The chilis are usually sold in oil, either whole or crushed and fortunately for us in the U.S. they are exported worldwide. They are also sometimes dried and ground into a powder for use as a seasoning. (You can read more about the chilis here.)
Tutto Calabria is an authentic producer of these chilis, and they grow over two million pods per year. I saw somebody raving about these online, and I happen to love Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce (which is made from Calabrian chilis and you can read more about that here), so I decided to give them a try. After one jar, I know that I will have to have them in the pantry at all times because I am definitely hooked.
I got the jar with the whole peppers that are packed in oil and vinegar. These include dried Calabrians, which are red, as well as a few green ones. I am assuming those are the fresh peppers thrown in to mix things up. The red peppers have the fruity flavor that this variety is known for along with a bit of smokiness and some tartness. The latter two flavors probably come from packing these in extra virgin olive oil and definitely lend to the addictiveness of the chilis. The green ones have a nice tang, possibly because they absorb more of the vinegar. There are not too many of them, but they do add a nice pucker.
Heat-wise, the Calabrian chilis are rated between 25,000 and 40,000 Scoville Heat Units which is comparable to cayenne peppers. And the Tutto Calabria chilis definitely bring a nice punch of heat. They won’t knock you over, but one of these marinated firecrackers will definitely light up your mouth. I would put them between the Medium and Hot levels on my scale, depending on the pepper you pull out of the jar, with most leaning to the Hot side. These are not for the meek and you will want to go easy if you are adding them to a dish that might be eaten by someone who doesn’t like spicy food (we weep for them).
To make it even better, the Tutto Calabria chilis are also two products in one. Since they are packed in olive oil (with some vinegar), you can use that separately. You can add it to sauce or other dishes or just drizzle it on as a garnish. The latter will bring much of the flavor without quite as much heat as eating the chilis. The peppers themselves have plenty of uses and can be added to Italian dishes and many other types of cuisines. From now on, when I make pizza at home I will add these instead of jalapenos because they should pair up perfectly with the pies.
I found these on Amazon.com, and they also sell the crushed variety as well as chili oil and other spices from the company. You may also be able to find these in your local Italian market or in gourmet stores. You will certainly want to look for the Tutto Calabria brand because they have been around for a long time and are known for their quality. Amazon has the whole chilis between nine and ten bucks a jar which is a bit pricey, but these are certainly worth it. I highly recommend checking them out, but I will also warn you that you will quickly become addicted to them!
Nutrition Info:
Serving Size: 10g
Calories: 25
Fat: 2g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 50mg