Most red pepper flakes are from the species Capsicum annuum. These are from the dried and pulverized fruits of several types of chiles, De Arbol, Japones, and Tien Tsin chiles. Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae family) and are related to potatoes, eggplants, tomatillos, and tomatoes. Use these red pepper flakes to add zest to pizza, chili, chowders, pickling, salads, homemade sausage, sandwiches, soups, spaghetti sauce, stir-fries, or vegetable recipes.