Hungarian wax peppers have a thin, edible skin so it is unnecessary to peel them before adding to stews and salads as a colorful and spicy element. The seeds and membranes in chile peppers contain most of the capsaicin, the compound that lends them their mouth-searing qualities. Even though Hungarian wax peppers are not very hot, you can reduce the heat further by removing their seeds and veins. Hungarian wax peppers are often used in Hungarian soups and stews but are not usually found in Hungarian goulash, where paprika is the major spice. These peppers are also often pickled.
The Hungarian wax pepper is a pastel yellow chile pepper also known as the hot yellow pepper or hot wax pepper. The Hungarian wax is closely related to the mild banana pepper. These peppers appear so much alike they cannot usually be distinguished except by taste. The Hungarian wax pepper tapers to a rounded point and averages about 6 inches (15cm) in length and is about 1 1/2 inches (3.8cm) wide.
Hungarian wax peppers are medium hot, with heat scores that range between 5,000 and 15,000 Scoville heat units. How high a chile scores on the heat scale is determined by high-performance liquid chromatography measurement of how many parts per million of capsaicin it contains. This figure is then converted into the historic Scoville heat units that signify how much dilution is necessary to drown out the chile’s heat. The heat level of a chile is given as a range because it can vary depending on how and where the pepper was cultivated.
Hungarian wax pepper, 1 pepper (27g)
Calories: 7.8
Protein: 0.2g
Carbohydrate: 1.8g
Total Fat: 0.1g
Fiber: 0.6g
**Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines.
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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires September 2008.