Thai Chili

The Thai Chili, or Bird’s Eye Chili, is a small spicy pepper that you can commonly found at grocery stores and Asian specialty stores. Even though it can commonly be found at these Asian specialty grocers the origins of the Bird’s Eye can be traced back to Mexico and Central America, as most all chilis can.

The Portuguese and Spanish colonists who came to the Mexico and Central American region were responsible for taking these peppers and spreading them the world over - a piece of the infamous Columbian Exchange. Around the 16th or 17th century the Bird’s Eye would finds its way to Southeast Asia and become entrenched in the local cuisine.

This pepper may be small and unassuming but it packs some heat. It clocks in at a range of 50,000 - 100,000 units on the Scoville Scale, or to put it in laymen’t terms it is in-between the spiciness of a jalapeno and a habanero. If you’re looking to buy some Bird’s Eye know that the redder the chili, the riper it is. They will ripen from a light green to a rich red.

If you want to experience this history in your cuisine today try out your local Thai or Vietnamese restaurant or, better yet, buy your own Bird’s Eye chilis and make a Thai, Vietnamese, etc. dish.