Hot New Magazine Devoted to Spicy Cuisine Suits Taste of Aficionados

Into the world of food journals comes one of the most specialized publications of the genre: The Whole Chile Pepper magazine.

The Albuquerque-based bimonthly is “devoted entirely to spicy foods,” said its publisher, Robert Spiegel.

A quick look at a recent table of contents confirms that hot is, indeed, the theme. Articles include “Paprika Power: The Spicy Cooking of the Danube;” “Expedition to Belize Uncovers Hottest Sauces,” and “The Whole Chile Pepper Diet.”

Regular columns featured by the magazine are “Hot Flashes” (chile news briefs); “Pungent Press,” (book reviews), and “Pepper Profile” (an up-close look at a particular variety).

“American tastes are definitely getting spicier and Southwest cuisine is becoming more popular, so it really should be no surprise (that) the world is ready for a magazine devoted entirely to hot foods,” Spiegel said.

The magazine was started in 1987, mostly as a curiosity with only one issue a year, but it has since expanded to six annually.

“Pepper lovers are passionate people who keep their lives full with new experiences. (And) chile gardeners are always searching for different and interesting fruits,” writes Spiegel in the most recent issue, which features a photo of the “Pasta From Hell” dish on the cover.

And if a magazine is not enough to keep the culinary fire going, the publishers are also offering a chile cookbook titled “Just North of the Border” (Out West Publishing: $7.95).

Curiously, amid all of the magazine’s advertisements for picante sauce, canned chili and chile posters there were none for antacids.

Those hearty of palate and stomach can subscribe to Whole Chile Pepper, or order the cookbook, by writing to P.O. Box 4278, Albuquerque, N.M. 87196.

Massed Avocado Mountain--The staff at Whole Chile Pepper magazine will be cheered by developments at this weekend’s California Avocado Festival.

The event, now in its third year, will be using crates of chilies as part of an attempt to prepare the world’s largest guacamole.

The festival runs from Saturday morning until Sunday evening in downtown Carpinteria. Twenty-five cheerleaders from the local high school will accept the challenge of amassing 140 gallons of the Mexican dip. According to organizers, there have been no previous attempts to obtain a world guacamole record.

The students will be required to cut, peel and mash the mountain of avocadoes to form the base for the dip. The actual ingredients will include 1,500 California avocados, 2,000 chilies, 500 garlic cloves, 500 tomatoes, 250 onions, 31 pounds of cheese, 31 cups of cilantro and 62 lemons. Salt and pepper will be added by the cupful, according to taste.

The festival also features the annual Santa Barbara Flower Show, food booths, children’s games, arts and crafts and sales of avocado ice cream.

The public can view the mountain of guacamole ingredients Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Then, on Sunday, the mixing begins at 10:30 a.m. and continues until 12:30 p.m. Upon completion, the public is invited to purchase the mixture throughout the afternoon.

The California Avocado Festival will be located along much of Linden Avenue in Carpinteria. There is no charge for admission. For more, information call (805) 684-0038.

Exploring Boundaries of Taste--A UC Davis researcher is investigating whether the Japanese have a more developed sense of taste than Americans.

The basis for the research, being conducted by food scientist Michael O’Mahoney, is whether a fifth taste sensation, called umani by the Japanese, is also detected by other nationals.

Traditionally, in food testing the four central flavors are sweet, sour, salty and bitter. O’Mahoney’s theory is that the Americans may know the umani taste sensation but lack a word to consistently describe it. The researcher also believes that limiting taste descriptions to four basic flavors is “rubbish.”

“What does a basic taste mean? Does it mean there are four types of taste buds? We don’t know how many there are,” O’Mahoney said in a recent report of his work. “Does it mean there are four types of taste mechanisms in the brain to receive taste messages? We don’t know how many there are. So why are we saying there are four?”

Japanese interests are funding the experiments that are taking place at UC Davis. If successful, O’Mahoney’s work would upset the premise upon which much of commercial food development and manufacturing in this country is based, he said.

The Ranking Fish--The nation’s most popular seafood varieties were identified in a recent report by the National Fisheries Institute, a Washington-based trade association.

Not surprisingly, canned tuna was ranked No. 1 in terms of per-capita consumption in 1988. Others, in descending order of popularity, are shrimp, cod, pollock, flounder/sole, clams, catfish, salmon, crabs and scallops.

These 10 varieties represent more than 80% of all the seafood eaten in this country. Current consumption figures for the United States are 15 pounds per person, down slightly from 15.4 pounds in 1987.

While the top four species increased slightly in consumption, there was a decline in purchases of flounder/sole and clams.