Cayenne Chilli Pepper

Origin & Names 

The word cayenne is believed to originate in Brazil coming form the Tupi word . 'kyinha' meaning hot pepper. Although the exact origin of this chilli pepper remains unclear, it is certainly native to South and Central America. The cayenne chilli belongs to the Capsicum annum family which along with Capsicum frutescens make up the vast majority of spicy and sweet peppers grown in the world today. It is estimated there as many as 50,000 cultivars of Capscium grown worldwide and the cayenne pepper is one of the most common. 

Geography & Cultivation

Aside from its widespread use in Latin America, the cayenne pepper is also grown widely in Africa, India and South East Asia. The plant itself is a small shrub that grows up to 3 feet tall with the long thin chillies reaching around 10 cm in length. The characteristic cayenne chilli is a deep red colour but green, orange, yellow & purple varieties are also cultivated. In the UK, cayenne chillies are commonly available both as fresh chillies and as also as dried flakes or ground powder. Here at Hill & Vale we use cayenne chillies both from the UK and India. Our chilli powder is ground and processed in India whereas our chilli flakes are grown in Cornwall and dehydrated then ground by us. 

Yellow cayenne chilli peppers

Food & Medicinal Uses