Features Ethnocultural Vegetables in Canada Part II Resource Guides
Chinese Red Hot Peppers

These two species of pepper like it hot and in areas without a winter frost (obviously not in Canada) can grow into a large perennial shrub. The plant, which produces a densely branched stem about two-feet high, produces off-white flowers. The fruit can be green, yellow or red, depending on ripeness.

The plant can be especially productive in warm, dry climates.

The C. frutescens variety of hot chili pepper can be insect or self-pollinated. The fruit typically grows erect and can be very small, starting out yellow and changing to red with maturity.

“As the peppers grow bigger and bigger, they grow hotter and hotter,” explained Ahmed Bilal, a research associate with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (VRIC), which conducted a research trial on Chinese red hot peppers in 2009 and 2010. “Therefore, it can serve a variety of communities. Some people like it very, very hot and some don’t like it that hot. These peppers can be served to different ethnic groups.”