Chili Pepper Identification

[rotuts]

I also get those longer green chiles at my Indian Market, picked some up today.

 

the little red ones remind me of the plants many people have that have little chiles like those on them, ripe red.  cant say Ive ever tried one some who knows how hot they are.

[JohnT]

Those look like "Calcutta" - (Capsicum frutescens), the most common chili available in supermarkets in South Africa. They were brought here by the Indian immigrants for their curry spices and are grown everywhere. I put one in every jar of pickled onions I make to add a bit of a kick to the onions. They grow 3 to 4 inches in length, are hot and will turn red if not harvested too early. Dry them out, whizz in a blender for a few seconds and you have chili flakes to use to enhance many a dish (just a pinch needed or you may have take-off).

[weedy]

Hi liuzhou,

 

Those look similar to what Madhur Jaffrey calls "long green medium-hot" chiles - regularly available in the Indian groceries near my house.

that was my first thought on seeing them as well

 

they look like Indian chiles

[liuzhou]

Hi liuzhou,

Those look similar to what Madhur Jaffrey calls "long green medium-hot" chiles - regularly available in the Indian groceries near my house.

If these are they, the heat are exactly as described - medium-hot. Of course varying from chile to chile and plant to plant and season to season as usual, but far less mouth-burning than small Thai chiles, with still a touch of the fresh flavor of green bell peppers.

 

That would describe them quite well, although from time to time a really hot one is lurking to surprise you. They are very common in this part of China. They also come, less frequently, in a red variety.

[liuzhou]

I've been looking for this for a while.

 

Every year about now, these things turn up in the local markets and supermarkets.

 

 

They are some kind of chili pepper. In Chinese, they are known as 米椒 (mǐ jiāo), but this doesn't help much. 米 is the main character for rice and 椒 means pepper. So we could call it 'rice pepper'. Unfortunately, 米 can also mean 'grain' or seedling'. I've seen ‘米椒' translated as 'millet chili'. But I've never found an English name I can relate to.

 

They are the size of gooseberries or large grapes and really pack a punch. Colour varies. They also come pickled year round.

 

 

 

Can anyone come up with a recognisable English name? Or even better, a Latin name?

 

Many thanks for your time.

[nasi goreng]

They look like our indeginous egg plants, but obviously they aren't.

I'll see if I can find them in my seed catalogue

[JohnT]

They look a bit like a young piquante pepper, except for their colour. The piquante pepper is an orange to red colour and is pickled to use on a salad. It is sold under the registered trade name "Pepperdew". How hot are these ones? And how do you use them?

[liuzhou]

 

How hot are these ones? And how do you use them?

 

Very hot. The are mainly dropped whole into braised dishes. They are not usually eaten, but discarded. The flavour and heat is transferred to the dish. As mentioned, they are also often pickled first. 

 

Definitely not the same thing. Piquante peppers are described as sweet and mild. Neither adjective covers these. But thank you.

 

(BTW, the registered trade name is "Peppadew".) 

Edited June 18, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

They almost remind me of Tepins. 

[CatPoet]

Chinese Purple  cherry peppers is  nearest I get

[liuzhou]

 

Chinese Purple cherry peppers is nearest I get

 

Where do you get that? It sounds promising, thanks. I can only find references to "Red Cherry Chile Peppers" which isn't these ones, although the size is about the same.

 

I should point out most of what I am referring to remain green.

[Martin Fisher]

They look a little bit like Chinese Five Color.

There very well may not be a specific English name for what you have.

If you can get a pic of the flowers (and leaves) you should be able to identify the species.

 

[liuzhou]

 

 

They look a little bit like Chinese Five Color.

There very well may not be a specific English name for what you have.

If you can get a pic of the flowers (and leaves) you should be able to identify the species.

 

Similar, but a different shape.

 

I am only too aware there may not be an English name (one of my biggest problems translating Chinese), but I'm an optimistic sort of person. If I turn up a total blank, I'll invent one. Capsicum Liuzhouii.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think the supermarket has the flowers or leaves.

 

Thanks again.

[CatPoet]

liuzhou

 

I have seen the cherry one in  many different colours.  Yes red is most common but i seen similar to yours too

[liuzhou]

 liuzhou

I have seen the cherry one in many different colours. Yes red is most common but i seen similar to yours too

 

Thanks, but that is not what I have.

[liuzhou]

It could be something very local  - most of what I come across, apart from the obvious, is but this is the first time I've met a total blank. I do know a couple of local Chinese botanists, but they aren't strong on food plants. 

Edited June 18, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[chileheadmike]

You can check here. Lot's of different varieties.

 

http://www.chileplants.com/pepper-plants.aspx

[HungryC]

Have you seen them growing on a plant?  If so, some botanical characteristics can narrow down the species to which the chile belongs.  Is the pepper upward facing or does it grow downward?  What does the flower look like?  Can you show a photo of a chile cut in half (cross section)?

[CatPoet]

So I asked  a Chinese man I know and he said  looks like purple  rice chiies too me...

Edited June 18, 2014 by CatPoet (log)

[William Colsher]

I checked out chileheadmike's link and hit these: http://www.chileplants.com/search.aspx?ProductCode=CHIBOD

[andiesenji]

The 5-color marble, aka Chinese 5-color HOT pepper is a prolific producer on fairly small plants that do great in containers. 

I had one about six years ago, kept it going for two years by bringing it inside for the winter.

 

Extremely hot to moderately hot - depending on growing conditions.  If you give them less nutrients and not much water, they will produce a much hotter fruit.

 

Mine had a lot of peppers the same color as in your photo but also yellow to pale orange and a very few that were cherry red with one or two very dark purple, almost black.  The paler colors had flesh that was almost translucent - like some of the pale white Hungarian peppers. 

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Very similar to what are called Lagrimas del Dragón here in Ecuador.  They're prized for their extreme heat, which is second only to the Luqutu (Rocoto) ajís.

[liuzhou]

Thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to respond. Some suggestions are very close, but I think only close.

 

I am coming to the conclusion that there isn’t a recognised English name for these and many other chilli varieties. Too many chillies (many with multiple names).

 

I will continue to hunt.

 

Again thanks.

 

Here are a few individual replies to recent posts:

 

 

 

You can check here. Lot's of different varieties.

 

http://www.chileplan...per-plants.aspx

 

Thanks. I'm working through them, but I have already noticed a lot of the chillies available here aren't listed.

 

Have you seen them growing on a plant?  If so, some botanical characteristics can narrow down the species to which the chile belongs.  Is the pepper upward facing or does it grow downward?  What does the flower look like?  Can you show a photo of a chile cut in half (cross section)?

 

No. As I said before, I've only seen the in supermarkets / markets.

 

Here is the picture you requested. I have halved two of them, one lengthwise and one widthwise. 

 

 

So I asked  a Chinese man I know and he said  looks like purple  rice chiies too me...

 

 

I have asked literally hundreds of Chinese people I know. None can translate it other than the way your man did. All he has done is give a literal translation, as I did in the opening post, where I also explained why it is inadequate. Try Googling for “purple rice chile” (with all the variant spellings for chile/chili/chilli). Nothing relevant comes up, suggesting this is not a term in use.

 

I checked out chileheadmike's link and hit these: http://www.chileplan...ductCode=CHIBOD

 

Thanks but the description doesn't match. These are half the size of mine.

 

The 5-color marble, aka Chinese 5-color HOT pepper

 

 

 

Thanks for the info, but I've already said what I have isn't these. They are described as sweet. Mine aren't. Also the shape is different.

 

Very similar to what are called Lagrimas del Dragón here in Ecuador.  They're prized for their extreme heat, which is second only to the Luqutu (Rocoto) ajís.

 

Interesting . The name “Lagrimas del Dragón” (Dragon’s Tears) is the sort of name the Chinese love. I don't think this is them, though. These sound much hotter than mine and I'm not sure how a chilli from Uruguay would end up in this remote part of China.

 

I have been unable to Google a picture of these. A search for Lagrimas del Dragón  just gives lots of shots of a children's comic book.

 

Thanks everyone.

[andiesenji]

The peppers I described and the ones I grew were NOT SWEET!  They are extremely hot.   Please check the link I included in my post to this page  which describes the heat - which in the ones I grew was MUCH hotter than rocoto or manzano peppers and were also hotter than the Thai hot peppers and the African bird peppers that I grew at the same time.  They were comparable to the Scotch Bonnet peppers (that were not as prolific).

Edited June 19, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Interesting . The name “Lagrimas del Dragón” (Dragon’s Tears) is the sort of name the Chinese love. I don't think this is them, though. These sound much hotter than mine and I'm not sure how a chilli from Uruguay would end up in this remote part of China.

 

I have been unable to Google a picture of these. A search for Lagrimas del Dragón  just gives lots of shots of a children's comic book.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

 

I have Lagrimas growing in my garden at the moment - once they're in fruit I'll post a picture for comparison.  As mentioned, chili heat varies greatly based on soils, water and also on available daylight and day length.  I've got the great good fortune to be in an altitude desert at the equator with frank, volcanic soils which seems to amp up the capsaicin production….  So they might actually be Lagrimas but grown under differing conditions.  

 

Since all chilies came from Latin America originally, I wouldn't be surprised to find Ecuadorian or Uruguayan varieties in odd niches.  Particularly not the Ecuadorian varieties, since the pre-Columbian cultures here were huge sea traders, not to mention the Spanish who came after….