{"product_id":"african-birds-eye-chilli","title":"African Birds Eye Chilli","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCapsicum frutescens 'African Bird's Eye'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe piri piri pepper — small, fiery and intensely flavoured\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe little pepper behind piri piri. African Bird's Eye — also known as peri peri, pili pili, or the African Devil — is the chilli that gives Mozambican and Portuguese piri piri sauces their distinctive bright, biting heat, and the one most people have tasted without ever knowing its name. Descended, like all chillies, from plants of the Americas, it has grown wild across East and southern Africa for centuries and is now cultivated commercially from Malawi to Mozambique. It carries real cultural heritage in a very small package.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe fruits are tiny but mighty: slim, thin-walled pods just 2–5cm long, tapering to a blunt point, ripening from green to a brilliant glossy red. Unusually, they point jauntily \u003cem\u003eupward\u003c\/em\u003e from the plant rather than dangling down — one of the easiest ways to tell a true bird's eye from its lookalikes, and part of what makes the plant so ornamental when it's covered in dozens of upright scarlet fruits at the height of summer. The heat is serious but not punishing — firmly in the \"very hot\" range, a good notch below the searing superhots, with a clean, bright, fruity flavour that explains why it's prized for sauces rather than just shock value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfrican Bird's Eye belongs to \u003cem\u003eCapsicum frutescens\u003c\/em\u003e — the same species as the Tabasco and Malagueta peppers, and a slightly different branch of the family from the habaneros and Scotch bonnets (which are \u003cem\u003eCapsicum chinense\u003c\/em\u003e) or the jalapeños and cayennes (\u003cem\u003eCapsicum annuum\u003c\/em\u003e). In practice, frutescens chillies are wonderfully productive bushy plants, and this one is no exception: expect a naturally bushy habit anywhere from 45cm to over a metre tall, generous enough to fill a large pot and produce a heavy crop of pods over a long season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a more forgiving chilli to grow than the Caribbean superhots — it germinates and crops more readily, and its compact bushy form makes it genuinely suited to container growing on a sunny patio, windowsill, or in the greenhouse. It still appreciates warmth and a long season, but it is a realistic and rewarding chilli for a keen grower who isn't ready to take on a 7 Pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA note on growing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSow indoors from late January to March in a heated propagator at 22–28°C. As a frutescens chilli the seed germinates more readily than the superhot chinense types, usually within 14–21 days, though warmth and patience always help.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrick out seedlings into 9cm pots once they have two true leaves, and grow on at a minimum of 18–20°C with bright light to keep them sturdy. Pot on progressively to final 25–30cm pots, and either keep under glass or move to the sunniest sheltered spot outdoors once all danger of frost has passed in late May or June. The bushy, compact habit makes this variety particularly happy in containers, so it's a good choice if you don't have a greenhouse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWater consistently but never let the roots sit waterlogged, and feed weekly with a high-potash tomato food once the first flowers appear. Pinch out the growing tip at around 20–25cm to encourage the dense, branching growth that carries the heaviest crop. Harvest from August through October, picking the pods once they have turned fully red — though they are perfectly usable green if you'd like a sharper, grassier heat earlier in the season. As with any hot chilli, it's sensible to wash your hands well after handling the cut fruit and to keep it away from your eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere it shines\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the kitchen, African Bird's Eye is the chilli for anyone who loves piri piri. Blitz the fresh red pods with garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, oregano, and olive oil to make a proper homemade piri piri sauce or marinade — outstanding on grilled or roast chicken, prawns, and fish. The bright, clean heat also works beautifully in Mozambican and Portuguese cooking, in chilli oils and vinegars, and dried and crushed into flakes for sprinkling over almost anything. Because the fruits are small and thin-walled, they dry quickly and easily on a sunny windowsill or in a dehydrator, keeping their colour and flavour well for year-round use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the garden, a single well-grown plant produces a remarkable number of pods, and the upward-pointing scarlet fruits against dark foliage make it as ornamental as it is useful — a genuinely handsome thing on a late-summer patio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeat:\u003c\/strong\u003e very hot, around 100,000–175,000 SHU\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlavour:\u003c\/strong\u003e bright, clean and fruity — the classic piri piri profile\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlant:\u003c\/strong\u003e bushy, 45cm to over 1m, excellent in containers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFruit:\u003c\/strong\u003e small 2–5cm pods pointing upward, ripening green to red\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSow:\u003c\/strong\u003e late January to March, propagator at 22–28°C\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e August to October, red (or green for a sharper heat)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEasier to grow\u003c\/strong\u003e than the Caribbean superhots\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAlso known as:\u003c\/strong\u003e piri piri, peri peri, pili pili, African Devil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant alongside\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChillies do well with companions that draw in pollinators and help keep pests down. Plant alongside \u003ca href=\"\/products\/french-marigold-spanish-brocade\"\u003eFrench Marigold 'Spanish Brocade'\u003c\/a\u003e to deter aphids and whitefly, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/calendula-neon-seeds\"\u003eCalendula 'Neon'\u003c\/a\u003e to attract beneficial predators. Basil is a classic companion that enjoys the same warmth and sunshine, and makes a natural culinary partner too.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54340135125325,"sku":"CHI-ABE","price":2.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0828\/6961\/6973\/files\/African_Birds_Eye_Chilli.png?v=1784539568","url":"https:\/\/thefoalyard.co.uk\/products\/african-birds-eye-chilli","provider":"The Foalyard","version":"1.0","type":"link"}