Scientists Create New Strain of Jumbo Jalapeño, “Perfect for Jalapeño Poppers!”

The New Mexico State University chili pepper breeding program (which is apparently a thing) announced that they have created a bigger jalapeño, dubbed the “NuMex Jalmundo.” According to a co-founder of the Chile Pepper Institute (which is also apparently a thing), Paul Bosland, the name “jalmundo” was chosen because it is an amalgamation of “jalapeño” and “mundo,” which means “world” in Spanish, playing on the larger size of the new pepper. The new jalmundos were created by breeding a bell pepper with a regular jalapeño, making way for various jokes concerning the exact origin of jalapeño popper stuffing. The jalmundo has a heat level of 17,000 Scoville heat units, making the peppers medium hot.

The seeds are available for purchase over at the very real Chile Pepper Institute.

(EurekAlert! via Popular Science via Boing Boing)