Let's start with the geography, because it is gloriously confused.
Cayenne pepper takes its name from Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana — a French overseas territory on the north Atlantic coast of South America. Which means, incidentally, that it is part of the European Union. Not many people know that.
The Wahl James Martin grinder — earning its keep at Casa Adora.
The chillies grown there are red and fiery and, when dried and ground, produce a pungent, vibrant powder that has been adding heat to kitchens for centuries. So far, so straightforward.
Except that I don't use cayenne chillies. A reader pointed this out to me shortly after I first published this post, and he was absolutely right. I use Kashmiri chillies — whole, dried, ground in small batches in my Wahl spice grinder and stored in a small airtight jar. Which means, strictly speaking, this is not cayenne pepper at all.
There is a further layer of confusion. Kashmiri chillies are probably not from Kashmir. The name refers more to a style — deep red, moderately hot, producing an extraordinary colour when cooked — than to a specific geographical origin. So we have a spice named after a South American city, made from chillies named after a region they may not come from, ground by a British immigrant in rural Andalucía.
It works, though. That is the point.
My homemade version is not as fierce as commercial cayenne — Kashmiri chillies are milder — but it perks things up beautifully, and the colour it gives to a dish is something else entirely. Try rubbing it into chicken pieces with a little sunflower oil before roasting. Simple and completely worth doing.
There are health benefits attributed to cayenne pepper too — it is said to help normalise blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol. I am not a doctor. I just like the colour.
Footnote: Find more recipes and food adventures here. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
It has been pointed out to me that I cannot call this Cayenne Pepper if I haven't used cayenne chillies. So for pedantic Paul's benefit this is my version of Cayenne Pepper made with Kashmiri chillies. And there's more as Kashmiri chillies are probably not from Kashmir at all but other regions, however, that is another story.