Chilli Pepper Varieties Around the World

30 JAN 2024

Credit: Google Images

Credit: Google Images

Peppadew

Native to South Africa, the Peppadew pepper has been famous worldwide and was discovered in the 90s. To control the pepper’s commercial growth, the Peppadew name is trademarked in South Africa.

Credit: Google Images

Jalapeno

Jalapeno peppers are one of the most popular peppers in the world. These medium-sized chile pepper pods of the species Capsicum annuum. The milder jalapenos are smooth, while there are white stretch marks on them that indicate their age and hotness. 

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Red Cayenne pepper

The red cayenne pepper is the mother of dragons and is quite a familiar pepper. Every house’s spice rack has a ground version of this pepper. These peppers are also called red hot chilli pepper, the aleva or the cow-horn pepper.

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Piri Piri

Piri Piri pepper, also called peri-peri, means ‘pepper pepper’ in a direct translation from Swahili. These small packages of these peppers come with butt-burning ability. This little Chilli found its home in the hearts of South Africans.

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Habanero

Habanero chillies, most of them come from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. However, the capital city of Cuba, Havana, is the inspiration behind the name of this pepper. Although many growers consider orange habanero the real habanero, these chillies come in many different colours.

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Carolina Reaper

The Carolina Reaper is pointy-tailed looking and means gnarled pepper. Anyone who dares to eat this pepper will have the wrath of hellfire bestowed upon them. This pepper is not an original product of mother nature and is a ‘man-made’ pepper.

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Chipotle

Chitpoles are smoke-dried jalapenos, and the word chipotle means smoked Chilli, hence the name. The colour of these chillies is red because they are smoked once jalapenos turn red. Chipotle Morito and Chipotle Meco are the two most common varieties of chipotle.

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Guajillo

Guajillo chilli is often used as a paste in salsa, soups or stews. It is usually sold dried, deseeded, soaked and ground into a thin paste. It adds a rich aromatic taste to any dish and is most commonly used to make salsa for dishes such as tamales.

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Serrano

Serrano peppers are much hotter, though they look very similar to jalapenos. The smaller the serrano, the more potent it is. Originated in Mexico, this pepper has 180 000 tons of production every year in Mexico.

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Ramnad Mundu Chilli

The Ramnad Mundu chilli originates from Tamil Nadu’s Ramnad region, hence the name. These chillies possess a distinct flavour and taste and are in round shape. Many local delicacies, including sambar and chutneys, use Ramnad Mundu chilli.