[2][3] The pepper is most commonly grown in East Texas, Louisiana,[2] and in parts of Mexico.

[4] It was first popularized in the United States by Texas journalist, historian, and chili enthusiast Frank X. Tolbert in his Dallas Morning News column about obscure local history, although he saw the pepper only once in his life.

[3] The pepper has a Scoville scale rating of 10,000-23,000 SHU[1] depending on cultivation and preparation, making it more spicy than the jalapeño.

[10] In the book Temptations: Igniting the Pleasure and Power of Aphrodisiacs, the pepper is called a "very hot Latin lover" who "likes to brag about his size and heat.

"[11] In Backwoods Home Magazine, Alice Brantley Yeager describes the process of growing peter peppers: "The best growing conditions involve a sunny spot in the garden, moderately rich soil and the same amount of water you’d give any other pepper plant when drought threatens."