We have some friends who love Mexican food as much as we do, and when we invited them over to play some games one evening, they showed up with a bag of corn tortilla chips and a bottle of Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers.
The bottle is made of glass and contains 16 ounces. The lid sports that the Mezzetta brand is family owned and operated, and that they have been producing fine quality food products since 1935. Interesting to me, because I had never heard of their products until that day, but then I recalled that these friends had (in the past) brought by some stuffed green olives, also made by Mezzetta. They are based in the Napa Valley, California.
When I first saw the bottle of Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers, I thought there would be no way I could enjoy this, as I am not one to really tolerate extremely hot foods. My husband on the other hand loves them, the hotter the better. Mezzetta describes these as being a “robust”, with a “tender” texture and “crisp” flavor.
Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers have only a few ingredients listed on the label: jalapeno peppers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate (preservative), sodium bisulfate added as a color stabilizer, tumeric and yellow #5.
We made some nachos with the tortilla chips and jack pepper and topped them with the Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers, before putting them in the oven to melt the cheese. Just taking a bite of the nachos where some of the sauce from the jalapenos had been was too hot for me! My husband, on the other hand, didn’t have any issues with the hotness of these jalapenos, he thought they tasted great. He said they were not that hot compared to some other hot peppers, such as the habanero peppers, which actually make him break out in a sweat while eating them!
When our friends left for the evening, they also left their jar of Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers with us, although I tried to get them to take them home with them. The only way I can eat these Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers is if I chop them up finely and add them to an existing Mexican recipe, or a jar of salsa. When they are diluted in this manner I can handle them, and only then!
If you like HOT jalapeno peppers, I think you might enjoy the Mezzetta line of products. They also make a milder jalapeno (the kind that is used in those jalapeno poppers appetizers), which is more to my liking.
There isn’t a lot of nutritional information to mention, the Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers contain zero fat, zero cholesterol, 1 gram of carbohydrates, zero sugars, zero protein, and 5 calories (per a 1/4 cup size). It is my opinion that the sodium is a bit high, with 380 mg of sodium in this small serving, which is 16% the daily allowance. They also provide 10% of your daily vitamin A.
To conclude, the Mezzetta Express Deli-Sliced Hot Jalapeno Peppers are indeed hot. If you like spicy hot food, this product is for you. If you are like me and like only mildly hot foods, then I would recommend you eat these with a bit more caution until you know if you can handle them or not. For you, I would recommend the Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeno Peppers.
The 16 ounce jars of both retail for $2.46, and can be found in local grocery stores, as well as online.
