It arrived in the kitchen one day. The label read Sweety Drop by Cocina Selecta. The words were as ambiguous as the black wraparound paper on the can. The artwork hardly gave me any clues as to what was a Sweety Drop. The canister has a tab where you can it pull. No can opener needed on this one. We all looked at one another, stumped by the can because none of us had any idea as to what may be contained inside, except for a clue in the back on the can that tells us it is a product of Peru. I was glad it had that bit to hint at us because I was associating the name with that serial killer, Sweeney Todd. Though he might righteously fit in the kitchen, with his barber tools and all, I wouldn’t want a product derived from his craft near salads or sandwiches for that matter.
As it turns out, Sweety Drop is a type of pepper. Bright red and shaped like teardrops, these peppers run small, between the size of a dime or a nickle. They burst of sweetness at first bite, and a slight pungency at the same time. Because they are considered peppers, they do have their characteristic seeds inside, tiny ones that resemble jalapeno seeds, but unlike the jalapeno, they don’t impart heat, or if there is any, it is far too weak to be detected by the palate.
The versatility of these peppers are endless. They can be paired with cheese, tossed in salads, chopped up and used as relish or made into an aioli. However, its unique teardrop shape and its vibrant red color is what is enticing about these peppers, the attraction being that these peppers can easily enhance a sandwich and transform it into a thing of beauty.
They say these peppers come from Peru. When I think of Peru, I think of the numerous flights of stairs leading one up and down that beautiful and mysterious Machu Picchu. I think of the Incan civilization that flourished during mid 1400’s, what kind of vegetation they planted to survive. Not far away, the early predecessor of this pepper was probably being cultivated, and throughout the years, it evolved into this perfect and tiny teardrop pepper that I would learn to skewer over and over to garnish my turkey sandwiches. Because a turkey sandwich by any right is just a sandwich. Stick one of these peppers on it and it elevates the sandwich just a bit. Maybe not as high as the mountains where Machu Picchu sits, but with imagination and some historical familiarity, looking and biting into a sandwich with a Sweety Drop on top of it can, for a moment, take us to a faraway place!
more than sandwiches
A “Sweety Drop” to a Faraway Place
As it turns out, Sweety Drop is a type of pepper. Bright red and shaped like teardrops, these peppers run small, between the size of a dime or a nickle. They burst of sweetness at first bite, and a slight pungency at the same time. Because they are considered peppers, they do have their characteristic seeds inside, tiny ones that resemble jalapeno seeds, but unlike the jalapeno, they don’t impart heat, or if there is any, it is far too weak to be detected by the palate.
They say these peppers come from Peru. When I think of Peru, I think of the numerous flights of stairs leading one up and down that beautiful and mysterious Machu Picchu. I think of the Incan civilization that flourished during mid 1400’s, what kind of vegetation they planted to survive. Not far away, the early predecessor of this pepper was probably being cultivated, and throughout the years, it evolved into this perfect and tiny teardrop pepper that I would learn to skewer over and over to garnish my turkey sandwiches. Because a turkey sandwich by any right is just a sandwich. Stick one of these peppers on it and it elevates the sandwich just a bit. Maybe not as high as the mountains where Machu Picchu sits, but with imagination and some historical familiarity, looking and biting into a sandwich with a Sweety Drop on top of it can, for a moment, take us to a faraway place!
