Did you know there are around 2,000 – 3,000 chilli cultivars around the world?
Chilli peppers come in all shapes and sizes with an array of unique colours; from your simple Jalapeno pepper to the unusual Aji Pineapple chilli. With physical variations between different types of chilli, there are also widely ranging heats and flavours to be discovered too. There is even a scale to measure the pungency of chilli peppers and this is called the Scoville scale; where most chilli peppers fall into the 2,500 – 250,000 Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) range.
Here at the Gloucestershire Chilli Farm (in our very warm greenhouse!) we grow; Joe’s Long chillies, Jalapenos, Ring of Fire, Paper Lanterns, Ghost chillies and Trinidad Scorpions. We’ve spent years experimenting with different chillies to make Adam’s Original products but have honed down on a small selection of chillies that we feel provide a good variety of different flavours, each with its own unique heat-experience. That’s not to say that we chilli heads can’t appreciate all the weird and wonderful chillies out there! So we hope you’ll enjoy this post, that introduces you to a few more chillies from across the globe..
But before we travel the globe in search of new chillies, here are a two of Adam’s favourites…
Ring of Fire Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 85,000 units
- These chillies are Adam’s number 1! This is the first hot chilli that’s ready to harvest on our farm. Adam says this pepper livens up any dish that needs a little spicy something – it can be added for colour and heat, or included in different types of pickles and chutneys.
- Adam enjoys this chilli freshly chopped and sprinkled on top of a Singapore noodle dish. Tasty!
Trinidad Scorpion Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 2,009,231 units
- This is one of Adam’s favourites because of it’s extreme heat and flavour (and of course being one of the hottest chillies in the world!)
- A dam enjoys this chilli in our Devil’s Pleasure sauce, a little drop can do a lot!
To take spice into consideration, we have chosen a few chilli peppers and put them into 4 categories. Mild, Medium, Hot and Extremely Hot
MILD
MILD
The Panca Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 500 units
- This berry-tasting chilli is the second most common pepper in Peru and is usually grown by the coast. They’re usually a subtle burgundy colour, sometimes a deep red.
- It has been used in Peru for centuries with it’s popular smoky like flavour in fish dishes, sauces and different stews.
Tangerine Dream Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 100 units
- This vibrant orange pepper is one of the sweetest chilli peppers you can get. People use them in pasta dishes, sandwiches and salads to give their food a unique taste.
- Tangerine Dream plants grow approx. 18 inches high and the peppers themselves grow upwards to about 3 inches each.
- It’s safe to say that this is a very pretty chilli!
MEDIUM
MEDIUM
Bolivian Rainbow Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 20, 000 units
- This makes a vibrant and colourful addition to any crop or patch. It starts with a purple colour to a sunny yellow, orange and red.
- Growing up-right on the plant, the Rainbow chilli grows to a small 1 inch and forms a cone shape.
- They look a bit like colourful fairy lights!
Aji Pineapple Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 20, 000 units
- No, this isn’t a type of pineapple… This chilli plant gets its name from the vibrant yellow colour it has. A single chilli pepper grows 2-3 inches long.
- This moderately hot pepper seed is rare to find. You’d be luck y to try one!
HOT
HOT
African Bird’s Eye Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 175,000 units
- This chilli pepper may only grow to 1 inch but it definitely packs a lot of heat!
- African Bird’s Eye was first found in the African wild. It is still grown in Africa now but it’s used for natural pest control and chilli powder.
- There isn’t as much flavour to this chilli as most people would think compared to all the other species but it’s definitely unique!
Datil Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 200,000 units
- This fruity flavoured chilli matures to about 3 inches long and sustains a lovely yellow colour.
- Rumours have it that this chilli first came to town when a Chile jam maker (excuse the pun!) bought it to Florida. It is now grown commercially, especially in St Augustine. They love it so much that they hold a Datil Pepper Festival every year!
EXTREMELY HOT
Seven-Pot Habanero Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 1,100,000 units
- This chilli originated from the Caribbean. It’s so spicy that it got its name from being able to spice up 7 family – sized pots of stew from one pepper.
- Each pepper is a fiery-red in a bulb-like shape.
- We wouldn’t advise eating a whole one!
Carolina Reaper Chilli
- Scoville Rating: 2,200,000 units
- Ok, so, this is the hottest chilli in the world on record.
- They’re very ugly on the outside… but hot on the inside!
- This pepper is so spicy that people have made ‘tips on how to survive eating a Carolina Reaper’ online, as so many people have hurt themselves eating this pepper!
Discover some of the products we make with our Gloucestershire Chilli Farm chillies by visiting our online store.
09th July 2018, Lucy Stacey, Gloucestershire Chilli Farm