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Chilli Time At Kings Garden Centre

Tuesday 16 February 2016, 1:42PM

By Beckie Wright

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As they say at King’s Garden Centre, it seems strange to imagine Indian food, Thai Food, Sichuan Food without chillies. Until Christopher Columbus travelled to the Americas chillies were unheard of in the ‘Old World’. However this lack didn’t last long, after their discovery their use was quickly and enthusiastically spread by people all around the world, as they tried to spice things up a bit.

However, for many, one chilli is much like another, which seems sad given the amazing, tasty and at times terrifying different kinds of chillies around. And while there are heaps of interesting ones around, here are four of the more peculiar and interesting varieties that we can get.

Rocoto (Capsium Pubscens)-  A different species from most other Capsicums and Chillies (Capsicum Annum), Rocoto chilli plants are relatively long lived, in the right circumstances they can live up to 15 years even in quite ‘chilly’ environments. And while 15 years may be a bit optimistic in New Zealand, it’s certainly true that you can grow this chilli as a perennial and expect to keep on harvesting the small, fairly spicy fruit that form on this quick growing shrub.  Plants can grow approx. 1.5m high.

Black Pearl - While the leaves of this chilli plant start off normal looking enough, they’ll quickly start to turn a deep purple black when they are exposed to the sun. The fruit is marble sized, starting a deep purple/black colour, only to turn redder as they ripen. The chillies are a medium heat, but what they lack in fieriness, they more than make up for with their delightful appearance.

Bhut Jolakia - These fiery peppers were once considered the hottest thing around. But while they were superseded as the hottest chilli by four other chillies, the hottest of which is the Carolina Reaper, it should be remembered that they are 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. Which means it’s worth being fairly careful when cooking with them, and the Kings’ team definitely recommend that you don’t rub your eyes after you’ve held them.

 Carolina Reaper - Aptly named because these things are kind of deadly. Bred in South Carolina, they have been rated as the world’s hottest chilli pepper by the Guinness World Records since August 7th, 2013. And while a man named Jason McNabb beat the record for how quickly someone could eat three of these chillies in 2014 (10.95 seconds), the team at Kings recommend that people handle and use these fiery fruit with extreme care.

For more information on Kings’ Garden Centre, please visit the website at http://www.kings.co.nz  .