St. Augustine is the only area in the United States where the Datil pepper is grown commercially. The pepper, similar in looks to a banana pepper, claims to be "hotter than the jalapeño." The taste of the pepper, in addition to its spicy heat, is more unique than any of its more familiarly known cousins and is extremely difficult to describe. It is traditionally used by locals in cooking old family recipes. In fact, Minorcan family-owned restaurants in this area use it to season and flavor many of the dishes they serve.

The next time you're dining out and taste something unique, but you can't quite put your finger on the flavor origin, it is probably seasoned with the Datil pepper. As you savor and enjoy every morsel, you can thank the Minorcan settlers for bringing it from the Old World to the New.

In 1768, shortly after the Spanish settlers fled to Cuba and the English settlers took over this land, a large group of colonists from the Mediterranean isle of Minorca were brought here to work in indentured servitude. They brought with them the Datil seedlings. In the face of much adversity, the Minorcans courageously farmed this land and gave us, among other things, the little Datil pepper.

There are several Datil pepper companies in town, and they make a number of pepper products. As Will Rogers might say, "I've never met a Datil-pepper product I didn't like." We happen to like all of the products, but for successful hors d'oeuvres, try the following recipe:

DATIL CHEESE and CRACKERS

• Place a paper doily on a cake plate.
• Center a large brick of cream cheese on the plate.
• Spoon red Datil pepper jelly over the cream cheese.
• Arrange your favorite crackers in a circle around the outside of the plate.
• Decorate with sprigs of mint or other greenery and cranberries.