The ñora is an essential ingredient in rice dishes, sauces, and stews. Born on the American continent, it has made a difference in the gastronomy of eastern Spain. Below is a review of its properties, benefits, and uses in the kitchen.
The ñora pepper is a sweet pepper from which everything is used: pulp and skin. The flesh of the ñora pepper enhances all kinds of stews and rice dishes in Levantine cuisine, while the skin ends up converted into the mythical paprika from La Vera. Its history was born hand in hand with that of the choristers pepper, and they arrived together from distant Mesoamerica centuries ago. Today, the ñora pepper is a fundamental part of the recipe book of Spanish gastronomy, which is why we dedicate the following paragraphs to its health benefits, its culinary role, and everything that differentiates it from the choricero pepper.
What is ñora
The ñora pepper is a round, sweet pepper with a thin skin and a long history in the eastern part of Spain, especially in Murcia and Alicante, where it is known as the “ball” pepper. Its scientific name is Capsicum annuum and its history is closely linked to the choricero pepper.
The ñoras go through a peculiar drying process, with a needle and thread dozens of peppers are strung around the base of the stem, which are then hung under the Levantine sun until they are completely dehydrated. In this way, the ñora pepper becomes the favourite pepper, one that can be eaten all year round, unlike other peppers such as the bell pepper, which are only intended for summer and autumn.
The dried ñora pepper is fully utilized. The flesh of the ñora pepper enhances rice dishes, stir-fries, and sauces. The dried skin is transformed into ground ñora pepper and is used in such emblematic condiments as paprika from La Vera. It is precisely its use as a condiment that attracted the attention of the Spanish thanks to its characteristic pungent sweetness. And how hot is the ñora pepper? This round pepper is much less spicy than the choricero pepper, the ñora scores between 500 and 1000 Scoville heat units (SHU). This scale is designed to calculate the level of spiciness of the different varieties of peppers based on their capsaicin content. With this score, the ñora pepper is just above the pepperoncini and 5 times below the jalapeño, making it a pepper capable of creating contrast in the most classic dishes without making us sweat.
Origin of the ñora
The ñora pepper looks to the American continent in search of its roots. Columbus brought it from America to the peninsula as an offering to the Catholic Monarchs. Its production spread throughout the country thanks to the conscientious cultivation of the Hieronymite monks of the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura and the Monastery of San Pedro de la Ñora, in Murcia, who were so important as to influence the baptism of the common name of the ñora pepper.
The ñora pepper was readily accepted not only because it was easy to grow but also because, in the words of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, a chronicler of the New World, the ñora pepper added to the pot ” gives a better taste than parsley and is better with meat and fish than very good pepper .” The ñora pepper was also much cheaper than pepper, which further boosted its presence in the market and earned it a highly prized place at the table.
Nutritional values of ñora
The nutritional values of the ñora pepper can vary slightly depending on the cultivar. Generally speaking, like the entire Capsicum annuum family, the ñora pepper is low in calories, low in carbohydrates, and low in fat. As part of the red pepper family, it is very rich in vitamin C, more than oranges, which is why it is highly recommended to keep it present in our stews. Below is the table with the average values of the ñora pepper per 100 g:
- Energy: 80 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 3.7 g
- Fats: 0.2 g
- Proteins: (g) 0.9 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Vitamin C: 131 mg
Properties and benefits of ñora
The ñora is a round pepper that is very rich in vitamin C, carotenoids and capsaicin, which give it health-promoting qualities such as its antioxidant and obesity-preventive power. Its antioxidant potential and its possible cancer-preventive properties are still being studied, which does not diminish the value of its current properties. Including ñora pulp or ground ñora in our dishes can, among other things, improve our satiety response and help us lose weight for longer, while its vitamin C content strengthens our immune system.
Vitamin C, the great antioxidant
In 100 g of choricero pepper there is 150% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Beyond the vitamin losses that all foods naturally suffer when they are processed and prepared, the ñora pepper continues to be an indisputable source of vitamin C. This vitamin is one of the vitamins with the greatest antioxidant potential, as you know, capable of reducing free radicals and prolonging the life of our cells. In addition, vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen and contributes to the proper functioning of the immune system, helping to prevent infections.
Capsaicin, the touch of flavor and health
We saw earlier that the ñora pepper scores a not inconsiderable 500–1000 SHU on the Scoville scale. This amount is low enough to be considered part of the sweet pepper family, although it is high enough to stimulate gastric motility and a slight mobilization of lipids, or fats, which makes introducing foods like the ñora pepper into our table help us prevent weight gain.
Exclusive carotenes from the ñora pepper
The group of carotenes, molecules responsible for the colour of carrots, tomatoes, and peppers, is very broad and varies from one vegetable to another. While carrots are very rich in beta-carotene, red peppers contain only capsanthin and capsorubin, two carotenes used in the food industry as a colouring agent and which, together with the other carotenes in the ñora pepper, reinforce the antioxidant power of the ñora pepper, making it a super-antioxidant vegetable.
Contraindications of ñora
The capsaicin content of ñora peppers could cause intestinal irritation in people with pre-existing conditions, so it is important to consult a doctor. In case of allergy to peppers, symptoms such as nasal congestion, inflammation, dermatitis or respiratory problems may occur. If you have an allergy, it is necessary to avoid all types of peppers and their presentation, whether fresh, dehydrated or powdered. It is important to consult a specialist doctor to ensure the suitability of the food in your diet.
Ñora and choristers pepper: differences
The choricero pepper is a long, spicy variety of Capiscum annum, commonly consumed in northern Spain, rich in vitamin C, a highly antioxidant vitamin that promotes a healthy immune system. What is the difference between the choricero pepper and the ñora pepper?
Unlike the choricero pepper, the ñora pepper has a sweet flavour, thin skin, and a rounded shape and is consumed mainly in the eastern part of Spain: Alicante, Murcia and Catalonia. Among its most famous uses are Alicante rice dishes and romesco sauce. The choricero pepper also contains capsaicin, which provides the spicy flavour and has antihypertensive and obesity-preventing properties, but it is more common in the north, in fact it is an essential ingredient in marmitako or Vizcaína sauce.
Use of ñora in cooking
Once we have some dried ñoras, the first step to enjoying them in the many recipes that exist with ñora is to rehydrate them. Rehydrating ñoras is simple and if we have patience we can get very good results. It is only necessary to soak the ñora in hot water for 2 to 3 hours to obtain a pulp of ñora ready to complement rice and sauces. The pulp of the ñora is carefully removed from the skin with the help of a spoon.
In Catalonia, ñora peppers are used to prepare a homemade and emblematic recipe, the traditional romesco sauce that accompanies thousands of calçots every year. In the Valencian Community, ñora peppers are present from north to south, filling rice dishes with aroma, colour, and juiciness. Paellas with ñora peppers are notable for fish rice dishes such as lobster broth, fish and seafood stew and lobster paella with ñora pepper pulp.
The accompaniment of salmorreta alicantina , the secret sauce made from ñora, tomato, and garlic that makes rice dishes better, also influences the dishes. Of course, ñora also increases the quality and flavour of stews and pottages and in most recipes, ñora pulp can be replaced by a teaspoon of paprika powder from La Vera. Another way of using this condiment that has been transforming the flavour of our gastronomy for more than five centuries.