Chile Pepper Fun Fact - The Bird's Eye Pepper
The tiny Bird’s Eye Chile originated in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, The Philippines, and surrounding countries, but they can now be found all over the world. They are presumably called Bird’s Eye Chile because of their small round shape and because they have been spread by birds, which are not affected by the heat of the peppers.
The Chiltepin pepper in North America is also known by the same name, and for the same reasons, but it is a different pepper altogether.
The Bird’s Eye are generally red at maturity, but may also be yellow, purple or black. They are very popular in cuisine from the areas mentioned above, and with heat almost similar to a habanero, they add quite a punch to many types of dishes, including pastas, soups, sauces, dips, and more.
Bird's eye chilies range from 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale. Compare this to a typical jalapeno pepper, which averages 5,000 SHU, and the bird's eye pepper is anywhere from 10 to 20 times hotter. That's quite a lot of heat!
Bird's eye peppers are used extensively in Thai cuisine as well as the cuisines of many countries around Thailand. They truly pack a punch and have an excellent flavor. I've grown these pods in my garden a few times now and the plants are always productive. Because of the number of peppers, their good level of heat, and their vibrant color, these peppers are ideal for making hot sauces, chile pastes, salsas, or for dehydrating and grinding into chile flakes or chile powders. They're also good for stir fries or adding to salads and soups.