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Capsicum frutescens is a species of chili pepper that includes the
following cultivar and varieties:
Piri piri, also called African Bird's Eye or African devil
Kambuzi pepper, Malawian pepper
Malagueta pepper
Tabasco pepper, used to make Tabasco sauce
Thai pepper, also called Bird's Eye chili, Chili Padi or Siling
labuyo
Origins/distribution
The Capsicum frutescens species likely originated in South or
Central America. It spread quickly throughout the tropical and
subtropical regions in this area and still grows wild today.
Capsicum frutescens is currently native to the majority of Central
America as well as Northern and Western South America. It is
believed that C. frutescens is the ancestor to the C. chinese
species.
Description
Pepper varieties in Capsicum frutescens can be annual or
short-lived perennial plants. Flowers are white with a greenish
white or greenish yellow corolla, and are either insect or
self-fertilized. The plants' berries typically grow erect;
ellipsoid-conical to lanceoloid shaped. They are usually very small
and pungent, growing 10-20mm long and 3-7mm in diameter. Fruit
typically grows a pale yellow and matures to a bright red, but can
also be other colors. C. frutescens has a smaller variety of
subspecies, likely because of the lack of human breeding compared to
other capsicum species. More recently, however, C. frutescens has
been bred to produce ornamental strains, because of its large
quantities of erect peppers growing in colorful ripening patterns.
Use
According to Richard Pankhurst, C. frutescens (known as barbaré)
was so important to the national cuisine of Ethiopia, at least as
early as the 19th century, "that it was cultivated extensively in
the warmer areas wherever the soil was suitable." Although it was
grown in every province, barbaré was especially extensive in Yejju,
"which supplied much of Showa as well as other neighboring
provinces." He singles out the upper Golima river valley as being
almost entirely devoted to the cultivation of this plant, where
thousands of acres were devoted to the plant and it was harvested
year round |
