Bird Pepper
Capsicum frutescens
The Bird Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) is a tropical chili pepper species producing small, upright, fiercely hot fruits that are among the most widely used peppers in tropical cuisines worldwide. The species includes the famous Tabasco pepper — the sole ingredient in Tabasco brand pepper sauce — and the bird's eye chili that is the backbone of Southeast Asian cooking.
• Includes Tabasco pepper, bird's eye chili (Thai chili), and African bird's eye pepper (piri-piri)
• Fruits are small (1 to 4 cm), upright (pointing upward on the plant), and extremely hot (30,000 to 100,000 SHU)
• The species name "frutescens" means "shrubby" or "bushy"
• Tabasco sauce — one of the most famous condiments in the world — is made exclusively from C. frutescens peppers
• Wild bird peppers are spread by birds, who are immune to capsaicin — hence the common name
• Likely originated in the Amazon Basin or the Caribbean
• Spread throughout the tropics by birds (who eat the fruits without feeling the heat) and by human trade
• Cultivated for thousands of years in tropical America before European contact
• Introduced to Africa and Asia by Portuguese traders in the 1500s, where it became enormously popular
• In Southeast Asia, bird's eye chili became so thoroughly integrated into local cuisine that it is often assumed to be native
• The Tabasco variety was grown on Avery Island, Louisiana, beginning in the 1860s by Edmund McIlhenny, creator of Tabasco sauce
• Genetic evidence suggests C. frutescens may be a subgroup of C. chinense rather than a distinct species
Plant:
• Erect, bushy, 60 to 150 cm tall
• Compact, branching habit
Leaves:
• Ovate to lanceolate, 3 to 10 cm long, smooth, dark green
Flowers:
• Small, white to greenish-white, 5 to 8 mm across
• Typically with purple anthers
Fruit:
• Small, elongated-conical, 1 to 4 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm wide
• Erect (pointing upward on the plant) — distinctive characteristic
• Green when immature, ripening to bright red, orange, or yellow
• Very thin flesh, high seed-to-flesh ratio
• Heat: 30,000 to 100,000 SHU (very hot)
Seeds:
• Small, flat, cream-colored
• Extremely high in vitamin C per gram — among the highest of any food
• Good source of vitamin A and beta-carotene (especially ripe red fruits)
• Contains capsaicin with demonstrated metabolic and pain-relieving benefits
• Rich in carotenoids including capsanthin and capsorubin
• Contains B vitamins, potassium, and iron
• Very low calorie but intensely flavorful — a little goes a very long way
Planting:
• Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before last frost
• Germination at 25 to 30°C in 14 to 21 days
• Transplant after frost danger when soil is warm
• Space 40 to 50 cm apart
Site:
• Full sun
• Well-drained, fertile soil
• Thrives in heat and humidity
Care:
• Consistent moisture
• Fertilize at planting and when flowering
• In tropical climates, plants can be perennial — producing for several years
Harvest:
• 80 to 100 days from transplanting
• Pick when fully red for maximum heat and flavor
• Can be harvested green for a slightly different flavor
• Tabasco sauce — fermented with salt and aged in oak barrels
• Thai bird's eye chili — essential in Thai, Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian cooking
• Piri-piri (African bird's eye) — the base of Portuguese-African hot sauce
• In sambal (Southeast Asian chili paste)
• In kimchi and Korean gochugaru preparations
• Fresh in curries, stir-fries, and noodle dishes
• Dried and ground as chili flakes
• Pickled whole
• In chili oils and infused vinegars
• The tiny peppers are often added whole to dishes for intense, localized heat
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