Jalapeño poppers, or jalapeño bites, are jalapeño peppers that have been hollowed out, stuffed with a mixture of

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

spices In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

, and sometimes ground

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

, and breaded and deep-fried. They are a common dish on appetizer menus in chain restaurants in the United States. They are sometimes called armadillo eggs, especially if wrapped in bacon or sausage meat to give the appearance of an

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

shell. The term has been used since around 1972 in Texas, antedating the trademark on "Jalapeño Poppers". As chile relleno can be made with jalapeño, the jalapeño popper is probably a

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejanos, Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern ...

version of that dish. The name armadillo eggs likely comes from the perceived similarity to

Scotch egg A Scotch egg is a boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and baked or deep-fried. Origin Various origin stories exist. The '' Oxford Companion to Food'' gives the first instance of the name as of 1809, in an edition of Ma ...

s. When smoked or grilled and stuffed with sausage, they are also referred to as A.B.T or Atomic Buffalo Turds. Joey Chestnut holds the Major League Eating record for jalapeño poppers, eating 118 in 10 minutes at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

on 8 April 2006.

Trademark

On April 30, 1992, Anchor Food Products applied for and later received a trademark on "Jalapeño Poppers"; on "Jalapeño Poppers" used for "processed vegetables" however, the word "Poppers" had been trademarked in 1983 by the Poppers Supply Company of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, for use with popcorn. On September 27, 1993, the Poppers Supply Company successfully applied for a trademark on "Poppers" when used for "coated and breaded vegetable pieces", which they held until the trademark was transferred to Anchor Food Products on September 12, 2001. On September 25, 2001,

Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...

announced that it had completed the acquisition of the Poppers brand, while

McCain Foods McCain Foods Limited is a Canadian multinational frozen food company established in 1957 in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada. It is the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, with 1 in 4 french fries in the world being a ...

acquired Anchor's production facilities. Leon's Texas Cuisine launched a line of cheese-stuffed, breaded, fried jalapeño product in 1985 called Jalitos; the company claims it is the original such product that was nationally distributed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalapeno popper Tex-Mex cuisine Appetizers Stuffed vegetable dishes Deep fried foods American vegetable dishes Fried vegetables

Trademark

See also

References