Where does a Jalapeño take its name from?

The name jalapeño (just like New Yorker is a New York native or a Texan is a person from Texas) is Spanish for "from Xalapa" (also spelled Jalapa), the capital city of Veracruz, Mexico, where the pepper was traditionally cultivated (in Spanish, place names for objects and animals use the suffix "eño", while to refer to a native person is preferred the suffix "ense").

A mature jalapeño fruit is 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and hangs down with a round, firm, smooth flesh of 25–38 mm (1–2 in) wide. It can have a range of pungency, with Scoville heat units of 3,500 to 8,000. Commonly picked and consumed while still green, it is occasionally allowed to fully ripen and turn red, orange, or yellow. It is wider and generally milder than the similar Serrano pepper.