The first thought that appears in our head, often when we speak about Indian cuisine, is the Indian spices, which is mostly the effect of chilies. India has nearly ten chilly varieties. Besides adding a flavor to our palates; chilies have other impressive advantages for our well-being. They help the digestive system, foster a healthier heart, alleviate joint pain, facilitate weight loss, minimize migraine, reduce the risk of cancer, and avoid allergies and other diseases.
The Portuguese navigators in the 16th century were known for bringing Chillies, (also known as Mirchi in India), to be carried to Asia. These people came to India and were very popular with Vasco-Da-Gama. Apart from the Indian cuisine chillies are used also in Ayurveda.
India is the largest global exporter of prime red chili. Research has shown that almost 13.6 million tons of red chili were produced here last year. The export of Chilli from India constitutes almost 50 percent of the worldwide market for this wonderful spice.
There are a variety of Indian chilies, though some are very strong in heat and can break one into tears, some are less pungent and only popular for their taste and color. Now let us look at the most common red chilies in India found and developed.
Varieties of Chilli in India
- Bhut Jolokia: Bhut Jolokia is also known as ‘ghost pepper’ and in 2007 the Guinness Book rated it as the world’s hottest chilly. This Chilli pepper is grown in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur. Bhut Jolokia is an interspecific (Capsicum Chinese and Capsicum frutescent) hybrid chili pepper. Bhut jolokia, usually mixed with pork or dried or fermented fish, is used for preparing a meal full of seasoning.
- Guntur Chilli: Guntur is the largest manufacturer and exporter in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Middle East, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Latin America with the most varieties of Chilli and Chilli powders in India. Guntur Sannamis also grown in Madhya Pradesh, are one of the styles of Guntur chilly. All of the spicy dishes that are famous across the globe in this particular region actually belong to the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
- Kashmiri chilies: This chili is the most desired after red chili in India because of its color, as its name implies. Indian cooking without Kashmiri mirch powder is incomplete, which brings color to every household cook’s mouth-watering dishes. In contrast to the other variants found in India, it is less hot or pungent.
- Byadagi chili: It is a well-known chili species, mostly cultivated in Karnataka. It was named for the city of Byadagi in the Karnataka district of Haveri. Byadagi chili is famous for its flavor and pungency.
- Dhani: Dhani is widely developed in Mizoram and in some parts of Manipur, which is known as Bird’s Eye Chilli because of its form. Though it’s the smallest, it’s really spicy, pungent, and bright red chili that’s popular in the Calcutta markets.
- Gundu: It is the round fat chili that is grown in Tamil Nadu in the fertile Ramnad regions. Fat and round means Gundu in Tamil. That’s why the name. Chutneys, sambars, and tadcas in the south of India favored this chilly to add spicy and mouth-watering flavor.
- Jwala: The chili is predominantly cultivated in Kheda, Mehsana, and southern Gujarat. It is also called finger hot pepper (FHP). While it is green at the outset, it becomes red as it matures. They can also be cultivated at home. This chili has a rather pungent taste and is conveniently on the shelf during the year.
- Indo-5 chili: This is one of the most renowned red chilies in India, popularly known as Indem-5, US-5, and Endo-5 Chilli, and is shipped in great amounts around the world. The largest producers of Indo 5 red chili in India are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The size is longer, the skin is heavier and the heat is comparatively poor.
- Warangal Chappata: Short and deep red color, less slick and moderate taste, Chili Tomato or ChapPata Warangal is very colored and has low heat, which is commonly used in color extraction.
- Bhavnagri mirchi: Bhavnagri long chili plants grow 13cm long and 2cm big hot peppers during good yield. These peppers are very hot and as they mature, transform from green to red. There are green stems, green leaves, and white flowers in the plant.
