Things are heating up now that the truth about jalapeños is going viral. If you've noticed that the jalapeño peppers scattered on your nachos or mixed in with your fajitas are lacking spice, you might be on to something.
An article from D Magazine about the “de-spicification” of jalapeño peppers has resurfaced on social media lately, and let's just say that people are heated.
The article offers insight into why jalapeños aren't nearly as spicy as they used to be. According to the story, growers are swapping out spicy peppers for larger, more attractive peppers. And if growers do want additional spice, they can tweak the heat level using oleoresin capsicum, an extract of pepper plants.
Needless to say, social media is on fire now that the shocking revelation is going viral. A tweet from X user @crulge is filled with hundreds of replies from perplexed jalapeño lovers. Some people have gone so far as to label the peppers "undependable."
"You are correct, sir. I don't like to cook with them, because the heat is undependable. I use serranos. Nobody seems to be meddling with them, yet. In my memory the heat is very close to what a jalapeño used to be," one user wrote.
Others felt validation knowing that their concerns about the lack of heat held some truth.
"This is one of those things where I thought I was crazy but no, it's actually a conspiracy," read another tweet.
Will you be swapping out your jalapeño peppers for something spicier now?
