Jalapenos and serranos share a resemblance.
It can be easy to confuse jalapeno and serrano peppers because they are very similar in appearance and flavor. However, if you keep a few simple characteristics in mind, you will be able to easily tell these spicy peppers apart.
Origin
Jalapenos are named after the Mexican city of Xalapa, where the peppers originated. Jalapenos are no longer confined to this town--they are now grown in other areas all over Mexico. Today they are also grown in some southern areas of the U.S. Serrano peppers also originated in Mexico, though they were primarily found in mountainous regions such as Puebla and Hidalgo.
Appearance
After maturing, jalapeno peppers are typically green in color, though they can be red in some cases. They are 2 to 3 inches long. Like jalapenos, serrano peppers can be green or red, or a combination of these colors plus orange, yellow and brown. Serranos are a little bit smaller than jalapenos, ranging from 1 to 2 inches in length and 1/2 half inch in width.
Heat Level
Jalapeno peppers are hot, with a heat level between five and six on a scale from one to 10. Serrano peppers are much hotter than jalapenos, with a scorching heat level of 7 or 8. According to the Scoville scale, which ranks chile peppers based on their level of heat, jalapenos are listed as having between 2,500 and 8,000 heat units. Serranos are ranked between 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville units, making them 4.6 times hotter than jalapenos. By comparison, the hottest pepper in the world, the Trinidad Scorpion, has a ranking of 1,463,700 Scoville units.
Uses
Both jalapenos and serranos are popular in Mexican dishes. Jalapeno peppers can be canned or used fresh. They are often found in spicy salsas, tortilla cheese soups and chipotle sauces. Serranos are also used in salsas, and they are easier to use for this purpose than jalapenos because their walls are thin and do not require steaming or peeling prior to use. Like jalapenos, serranos can be canned or served fresh, though they can also be pickled or stored in oil.
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