The jalapeño is a pepper from 5 to 9 cm long and is commonly harvested and eaten before its total maturation when it’s still green, although sometimes it is left to mature completely allowing it to assume a red color. It belongs to a species native of Mexico named Capsicum Annuum, with a shrub that grows from 60 to 120 cm in height. It takes its name from Xalapa, Veracruz, where it is traditionally grown. Approximately 160 square kilometers (40,000 hectares) are devoted to its cultivation in Mexico, mainly in the basin of the river Papaloapan in northern Veracruz state, and in the Delicias Chihuahua. The jalapeños are grown in small quantities in the regions of Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. The jalapeño juice is often used as a remedy for seasonal allergies and other cardiovascular problems.
