Know your Thai Peppers

• • Thai pepper, C. frutescens, is a type of tabasco pepper. It is a small pepper that is used widely throughout Asia and Mexico.

  • It is a tabasco type and is very hot.

  • Begins as pale yellow-green, goes to yellow, then to orange and matures to red, finally ripening to a very dark red.

  • Grown in Thailand and neighboring countries, the Thai pepper is a type of pepper that can be classified as “very hot”.

  • It's used in many spicy Thai dishes at restaurants.

Buying Tips

• • Fresh Thai chile peppers may be difficult to find in grocery stores but can often be found in Asian specialty markets.

  • Choose peppers with deep colours, avoiding those that look soft.

Varieties

• • Thai peppers are small, seldom growing larger than 1 to 3 inches (2.5–7.6cm) long. They are usually less than 1/2 inch (1.2cm) wide, but provide plenty of heat.

  • These slightly curvy, potent peppers are typically bright red or deep green, and end in a sharp point.

  • Thai peppers are extremely hot, though they can vary in their heat ratings from 75,000 to 150,000 Scoville heat units.

Kitchen Notes