How Tabasco Peppers Compare To Cayenne

Even if they share the same ranking on the Scoville scale, not all peppers are created equal. Small but mighty, tabasco and cayenne peppers both clock in at 30,000-50,000 SHU. For comparison, jalapenos have an SHU of about 5,000 and habaneros boast 100,000-350,000 SHU. Home cooks should wear gloves when handling either punchy type of chili pepper, but this is roughly where the similarities between the two of them end.

Tabasco peppers are comparatively much juicier than all other types of chili peppers, cayenne included. That distinctive smoky, sweet, fruity taste comes with a greater liquid component, making tabascos a good fit for turning into flavorful, high-moisture salsas and hot sauce condiments. Cayenne peppers, by contrast, are far less juicy, comprising the outer pepper flesh, inner white membrane, and interior seeds. 

As well as less moisture, utilitarian cayenne peppers present a more neutral taste compared to tabasco's smoky fruitiness. Fiery and versatile, cayennes are all about packing potent heat without a pronounced flavor. The dried flakes impart a subtler heat level, garnishing dishes like a finishing salt, whereas powdered cayenne pepper gets incorporated into the dish itself, yielding a more intense heat. The dried flaky topping served in shaker jars at pizza joints is typically cayenne pepper. Cayennes are super versatile as a dried seasoning, adding heat in myriad recipes without interrupting or competing with existing taste profiles. 

Tabasco peppers are a type of chili pepper hailing from Mexico. In fact, the name "tabasco" is borrowed from the eponymous Mexican state. Tabasco plants thrive in warm climates with full sun and high humidity. In addition to Mexico, Texas and Avery Island, Louisiana are also home to a thriving tabasco pepper agricultural industry, the latter of which is home to the crop used for the hot sauce condiment by the McIlhenny Company.

McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce condiment (which measures the ripeness of its peppers using an old-fashioned process) has a significantly lower Scoville rating compared to the fresh tabasco pepper, 2,500-5,000 SHU. This is because, during the fermentation process, the pepper mash gets diluted in vinegar to tame. The Louisiana-based brand also makes a Scorpion pepper version of its classic Tabasco sauce, which is significantly spicier (and, by our count, not nearly as tasty as the original).

Tabasco peppers grow in a tapered shape, typically two inches in length or shorter, with a vibrant red hue and a pungent taste. Many peppers can grow from a single plant, and reach full maturation and harvestability around 80 days. As they age, the color changes from green to yellow to orange, finally turning bright red once they're ready to pick.To serve, tabasco peppers are typically turned into hot sauce, used to make salsa, or dehydrated for use in different recipes. Fresh tabasco peppers can also be sauteed and stir-fried, but this is less common.

Cayenne peppers are thinner and longer in shape than tabasco peppers, growing between two and five inches long and with a comparatively narrower taper, about ½-inch in diameter. They're characterized by a slightly curved shape and wrinkly outsides, physically resembling a Thai bird's eye chili pepper. 

Despite their wildly different appearances, cayenne peppers belong to the same nightshade plant family as bell peppers and are named after the South American city of Cayenne in French Guiana, from which they originate. Cayenne pepper plants thrive in tropical and subtropical regions, with high cultivation rates in India, China, Indonesia, Peru, and Mexico, as well as Louisiana in the U.S. The peppers should be harvested when the outer flesh is firm, waxy, and bright red, about a 70-day maturation period, which is a bit shorter than tabasco pepper cultivation.

To serve, cayenne pepper is commonly dried, ground into flakes or powder, and used as a flavorful, warming seasoning over meat, seafood, soups, stews, and marinades. Fresh cayenne peppers are seldom used in cooking. In its dried form, cayenne is a key ingredient in Creole and Cajun seasoning blends, a staple of the jerk seasonings of Caribbean culinary style, and commonly included in Indian curry blends and Chinese Szechuan dishes. However you choose to enjoy it, this versatile chili pepper boasts a wide range of applications. Here at Tasting Table, we add cayenne pepper to everything from chocolate bark to pie crust and sweet potato cornbread.