Pili pili
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
African birdseye |
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African Devil
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Capsicum frutescens 'African Devil' |
Heat : Very Hot (SR: 50,000-175,000) |
African birdseye (or African devil or African red devil) is a cultivar of the chili pepper that grows both wild and domesticated. It is a small and extremely spicy member of the capsicum plant genus.
The plants are usually very bushy and grow in height to 45-120 centimeters, with leaves of 4-7 cm length and 1.3-1.5 cm width. The fruits are generally tapered to a blunt point and measure up to 2.5 centimeters long. Immature pod color is green, mature color is bright red or purple.
Some varieties of birdseye measure up to 175,000 Scoville Heat Units.
[edit] Piri-piri
Piri-piri, peri-peri or peli-peli is the name used in Portuguese and a number of African languages to describe the African bird's-eye chili. The variations in spelling derive from the various pronunciations of the word in parts of Africa, although "piri-piri" is the correct spelling in Portuguese.
In Portuguese cuisine, piri-piri is often used in preparing sauces and marinades for roast and grilled dishes, especially chicken and various fish.
Nando's, the Portuguese-themed chicken restaurant chain uses piri-piri in many of its dishes, and helped popularise them worldwide. The company, however, prefers the common South African spelling peri peri on its menus and branded sauces.
[edit] Malagueta
In Northeastern Brazil the pepper is known as the malagueta (a term also used in Portugal), and it is by far the most common pepper found in both the food and the markets of the region. It is commonly used as an ingredient in the cuisine of Bahia, and as a condiment in the rest of the Northeast.[citation needed]