Red Chilli - Really it's hot...

Red Chilli 

The chilli pepper or chilli is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. In Australia, Britain, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and in other Asian countries, it is usually known simply as chilli. 

"The substances that give chilli pepper their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids."

Chilli has many varieties which are differentiated on its pungency measured on Scoville Scale. Chilli fruit when ripened and dried becomes red chilli, which is further grounded to form red chilli powder. These are categorized as hot pepper. 

Red chilli became famous all around the world because of its characteristics like pungency, taste and flavor matched black pepper, which was very expensive during old times and thus it became one of the most important and integral spices. 

Scientific name of green Chilli 

• Local Name : Mirchi, Lal mirach, Mirchya
• Family: Solanaceae
• Botanical Name: Capsicum annuam

Indian name of Chilli 

Hindi : Lal mirch |  Bengali : Lanka , Lankamorich | Gujarati : Marcha | Kannada : Mensina kai |  Malayalam : Mulaku | Marathi : Mirchi | Oriya : Lanka | Punjabi : Lalmirch | Tamil : Milagay | Telugu : Mirapa | kaya Urdu : Lalmirch.

Foreign name of Chilli 

Spanish : Pimenton | French : Puvre de Guinee; | German : Paprika | Arabic : Filfil Ahmar | Dutch : Spaanse Peper | 

Italian : Peperone | Portuguese : Pimento | Russian : Struchkovy pyeret | Japanese : Togarashi | Chinese : Hesiung Yali chiao | British : Chillies(Hot) Pepper(Sweet).

Origin of Red Chilli 

• Chilli was introduced into Europe in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who discovered it in tropical America. 
• Believed to be a native of Mexico and Peru, it was widely used by the people of Central and South America prior to Columbus’s discovery. 
• It spread so quickly that by 1542, three types of chilli were already introduced into India. 
• As most European languages referred to chilli as a kind of pepper, attempts were made to differentiate it from pepper by coining new words for chilli. 
• Jacob de Bondt, a Batavian physician, used the term Piper chilensis in 1630. 
• Pepper traders in Java also sought to give it a name distinct from pepper but this did not come to pass. Some varieties of chillies are still known as peppers.

Season for Chilli Cultivation

Chilli crop grows well in deep loamy fertile soil with appropriate moisture content. Best time for sowing chillies is between April and June, i.e. in hot and humid weather. But dry weather is required at the time of harvesting. 

Major chilli growing countries are India, China, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Pakistan, Ghana, and Bangladesh. These countries produce approximately 85% of the total red chilli in the world. 

India is the biggest producer, consumer and exporter of spices worldwide, accounting for 48 per cent of global exports by volume and 43 percent in terms of value.  

Among all the major producers, India dominates in chilli production and is the largest exporter as well due to superior quality found here. 

In India major production comes from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan.  

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) is the major physical market for red chillies.  

Varieties of chillies

Following varieties are harvesting in Tamilnadu state, India. K 1, K 2, CO 2, CO 4 (vegetable type), PKM 1, PMK 1 (for semi-dry conditions in Southern Districts), PLR1 (for coastal regions of North - East Tamil Nadu) and KKM (Ch) 1.

 Hybrids 

TNAU Chilli Hybrid CO 1 

 Famous Indian chillies 

There are over 400 varieties in the world and almost 16% of the world’s food production is attributed to the chilli. India is the largest producer of chilli followed by China. There are many varieties that are grown across India and some are mentioned below. 

Kashmiri Chilli

Known more for its colour than its spicy, this chilli is ground into a powder and used not only in Kashmiri dishes but in many dishes across the country and the world to add a beautiful red colour to the dish as well as enhance the dish’s taste. 

It’s so mild in its spiciness that it measures barely 2000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). 

The Scoville Heat Scale measures the spiciness or the hotness of a chilli. 

The highest is Pure Capsaicin and Dihydrocapsaicin which measures 16,000,000 SHU. Now you can understand exactly how mild the Kashmiri Chilli is!!

Guntur Chilli 

Andhra cuisine is famous for its extremely spicy dishes and the chilli responsible for this is the Guntur Sannam – S4. 

The Sannam chilli has many varieties that are grown not only in Andhra but also in states such as Madhya Pradesh. Known for its heat, unless one is used to such a high level of spiciness, you will find many people in tears when eating delicious Andhra dishes. 

As the name suggests, it’s grown extensively in this region. This chilli has become so popular; it is exported to all over the world. It accounts for roughly 30% of India’s chilli exports. 

Bird’s Eye Chilli – Dhani 

This is grown in the North East and is tiny but packs a punch in terms of spice. 

It is used not only in cooking but also used in chutneys and pickles. When eating a pickle made of these chillis,.

Naga Chilli

They comprise of some varieties of chillis which are rank as some of the hottest chillis in the world. Supposedly the Indian Army wants to use some of the varieties of chillis as weapons! 

They are extremely hot that after eating it people have reported of eyes burning, leaky noses; people collapsing, vomiting and getting stomach cramps. 

Some have even retired to their beds for a day or two to recover from the effects!

Mundu Chilli

Grown in Tamil Nadu and Andhra, they are small & round with a thin skin. It has a very unique flavour. They are barely spicy but have a unique flavor which enhances the flavours of many dishes.

Jwala Chilli

Grown primarily in Gujarat, this chilli is grown all over the country and is used widely in India for cooking. Though its green initially, once it matures it turns red in colour. They can even be grown at home. It is one of the country’s most important crops.

Kanthari Chilli 

These chillies are grown in Kerala and become white when mature. These chillis are hot and lend a good flavor to dishes. Kanthari chillies are a unique variety of Bird’s Eye Chilli. It is a perennial crop.

Byadagi Chilli 

This chilli is grown in Karnataka. It is long and has a thin skin, and when it’s dried has a crinkly appearance. It is known for its colour and pungency and is consumed across India. The Byadagi Chilli is similar to Paprika.


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Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chillii _pepper
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/red-chilli 
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_203_2005-01-11.html 
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_vegetables_chilli.html 
http://food.ndtv.com/health/12-unbelievable-health-benefits-of-green-chillies-zero-calories-but-packed-with-vitamins-1443343 
http://www.pingminghealth.com/article/822/the-pros-and-cons-of-eating-chilli-on-the-body/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2894/2#ixzz4hWVhWgx1 
http://www.india.com/travel/articles/8-indian-chillies-you-must-know-about/ 
http://www.indianspices.com/spice-catalog/chilli-1 
http://www.theorganicfarmer.org/Articles/earn-more-chillies-through-value-addition 
https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/fresh-fruit-vegetables/chilli-peppers/europe/