| Bird's eye chili | |
|---|---|
 Several bird's eye chilis on a shrub | |
| Species | Capsicum annuum[1] |
| Cultivar | Bird's Eye |
| Heat |  Very hot |
| Scoville scale | 50,000 - 100,000 SHU |
Bird's eye chili orThai chili (Thai:พริกขี้หนู,romanized: prik ki nu,lit. ''mouse-dropping chili'' owing to its shape) is achili peppervariety from the speciesCapsicum annuum that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in manyAsian cuisines. It may be mistaken for a similar-looking chili derived from the speciesCapsicum frutescens, the cultivarsiling labuyo.Capsicum frutescens fruits are generally smaller and characteristically point upwards. In the Marianas and Guam, these are often called boonie peppers or Doni Sali, which can be a term for regional wild (technicallyferal) varieties. The variation between different varieties can be significant for regional dishes or visuals, such as the Thai ornamental varieties.
The bird's eye chili plant is aperennial with small, tapering fruits, often two or three, at a node. The fruits are very pungent.
The bird's eye chili is small, but is quite hot. It measures around 50,000 – 100,000Scoville units, which is less than ahabanero, but many times hotter than the spiciestjalapeños.[2]
All chilis found around the world today have their origins in Mexico, Central America, and South America.[3] They were spread bySpanish andPortuguese colonists, missionaries, and traders, together with many other now-common crops, such asmaize, tomatoes and pineapples, through theColumbian Exchange. The chili varieties found in Southeast Asia today were brought there in the 16th or 17th centuries.[4][5]
InIndonesian cuisine, these chilis are widely used in a variety of dishes andsambals. The whole green bird's eye chili is also eaten raw as a side dish forgorengan (deep-fried foods).[7]
InVietnamese cuisine, these chilis are used in soups, salads, and stir-fried dishes. They are also put in a wide variety of sauces, pastes, and marinades, used as a condiment or eaten raw, both fresh and dried.
InThai cuisine, these chilis are highly valued for their fruity taste and extreme spiciness. They are extensively used in manyThai dishes, such as inThai curries and inThai salads, green as well as the ripe red chilis; or they can just be eaten raw on the side, with for instance,khao kha mu (stewed pork trotter served with rice).
It is also used inIndian cuisine, and is natively knowns asKanthari chili.[8]
The more decorative, but slightly less pungent chili, sometimes known as "Thai ornamental", has peppers that point upward on the plant, and range from green to yellow, orange, and then red. It is the basis for the hybrid cultivar 'NuMex Twilight', essentially the same, but less pungent, and starting with purple fruit, creating a rainbow effect. These peppers can grow wild in places such asSaipan andGuam.
