Peppadews are very flavorful and relatively mild. What about putting the heat in a couple of dips of varying intensity?

I will second Betterirene's advice with regard to anaheims and pappadews in particular. The good thing with regard to the latter is that you can stuff them with cheese (goat/chevre) as an appetizer.

I'd try a serrano or poblano. Serranos are a bit hotter but have really nice flavor. Thanks for the Scoville rundown, betteirene!

Whichever pepper you chose, I'd recommend tasting a piece before setting them out for guests. Some peppers' heat can vary pretty widely (even from the same plant)...for instance, while jalapenos are usually fairly tame, some that we grew last summer were downright devils (even after seeding and de-ribbing) - and I have a pretty high heat tolerance. Others could easily have been chomped away on like bell peppers.

I love Poblanos - they have a lovely mild flavor/heat - but not sure their thick tough skin would be too pleasant raw. (Before eating, the skin is usually charred off over a flame, then the pepper roasted in various manners.) Maybe some varieties of Poblanos have a more palatable skin, that I just haven't encountered? (And now I'm craving chiles rellonos!)

I would go with Poblano if the tray has some sort of dip, Pepperoncini if not.

Anaheim, Poblano, Peppadew, Pimento and Peperoncini are more warm than hot, especially if you remove the seeds and ribs. You might not even recognize a jalapeno as a hot pepper once it's been seeded and ribbed.


In descending order of Scoville heat units:
5,000,000–5,300,000 Law Enforcement Grade pepper spray
855,000–1,359,000 Naga Viper, Naga Jolokia (ghost chili)
350,000–580,000 Red Savina habanero
100,000–350,000 Guntur Chilli, Habanero chili, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Datil pepper, Rocoto, African Birdseye (Piri Piri), Madame Jeanette, Jamaican Hot Pepper
50,000–100,000 Bird's eye chili/Thai Pepper/Indian Pepper, Malagueta Pepper,Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper
30,000–50,000 Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper, Tabasco pepper, Cumari pepper (Capsicum Chinese)
10,000–23,000 Serrano Pepper, Peter Pepper
2,500–8,000 Jalapeño Pepper, Guajillo pepper, New Mexican varieties of Anaheim pepper, Paprika (Hungarian wax pepper), Tabasco Sauce
500–2,500 Anaheim pepper, Poblano Pepper, Rocotillo Pepper, Peppadew
100–500 Pimento, Peperoncini
0 No significant heat, Bell pepper, Cubanelle, Aji dulce