Aleppo pepper

The Aleppo pepper (Arabic: فلفل حلبي‎ / ALA-LC: fulful Ḥalabī) is a variety of Capsicum annuum used as a spice, particularly in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Also known as the Halaby pepper, it starts as pods which ripen to a burgundy color and then are semi-dried, de-seeded, then crushed or coarsely ground. The pepper is named after Aleppo, a long-inhabited city along the Silk Road in northern Syria, and is grown in Syria and Turkey.

Although a common condiment, its use in the United States outside of Armenian, Syrian and Turkish immigrant communities was rare until the 20th century, with one source (Los Angeles magazine) dating its rise in use among the broader U.S. population according to the 1994 publication of The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean (ISBN 978-0-06-016651-9) by Paula Wolfert.

Characteristics

The Aleppo pepper has a moderate heat level of about 10,000 on the Scoville scale, with some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones. Its flavor is similar to the ancho chile, but oilier and slightly salty; salt is often used in the drying process. It is fairly mild, with its heat building slowly, with a fruity raisin-like flavor. It has also been described as having the flavor of "sweetness, roundness and perfume of the best kind of sundried tomatoes, but with a substantial kick behind it."

Aleppo

Aleppo (/əˈlɛpoʊ/; Arabic: ﺣﻠﺐ‎ / ALA-LC: Ḥalab, IPA: [ˈħalab]) is the largest city in Syria and it serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,132,100 (2004 census), it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant. For centuries, Aleppo was the Syrian region's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third-largest, after Constantinople and Cairo.

Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; it has been inhabited since perhaps as early as the 6th millennium BC. Excavations at Tell as-Sawda and Tell al-Ansari, just south of the old city of Aleppo, show that the area was occupied since at least the latter part of the 3rd millennium BC; and this is also when Aleppo is first mentioned in cuneiform tablets unearthed in Ebla and Mesopotamia, in which it is noted for its commercial and military proficiency. Such a long history is probably due to its being a strategic trading point midway between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia (i.e. modern Iraq).

Aleppo (disambiguation)

Aleppo is a city in Syria.

Aleppo may also refer to:

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United States