Pequin / Piquin

Heat: 9 (approx. 50,000 - 90,000 SHU)

General information: The Pequin or Piquin is the cultivated form of the wild Chiltepin / Tepin and produces small, elongated fruits. The name "Pequin" comes from the Spanish word "pequeño", which means "small". The variety also comes from Central America (Mexico) and is sometimes called "bird pepper" as the fruits are often eaten by birds. Birds are immune to the capasaicin in chillies and are therefore the main spreaders of the seeds.
The Pequin is a very high-yielding variety that can produce up to 100 - 200 fruits on one plant.

Growth habit: The strongly branched Pequin plants provide a decorative eye-catcher on the patio or in the home. They grow to a height of approx. 70 - 90 cm and have firm leaves with a waxy surface. The approx. 4 cm long fruits ripen from green to red and grow upright like Tabasco chillies. Overwintering with pruning is just as worthwhile here as with the Tepin chilli plant.

Growing instructions: Don`t be surprised, the Pequin variety usually takes a little longer to germinate than most other chilli varieties, sometimes it can take four weeks before you can see the first signs of sprouts. Due to the long ripening period (80 - 110 days), it is also advisable to start growing the plants on a windowsill or in a greenhouse as early as January. Like all chillies, the plants need a lot of light and warmth and moist, but by no means wet, soil is ideal. It is best to provide the pots with a drainage layer. As the Pequin chilli can be cultivated as a perennial, it is best grown in a pot or tub. You can then also bring them indoors in autumn when the temperature drops below 12°C during the day so that all the fruits can ripen. To overwinter, cut back by 20 cm after harvesting and place in a bright spot at a temperature of at least 15°C.

Culinary: Pequin pods are thin-walled and have a sweet, sometimes slightly lemony pepper flavour with an intense heat. Thanks to their thin walls, they can even be air-dried. Pequin is traditionally used fresh or dried for stews, salsas and sauces. However, the small pods are also ideal for pickling in vinegar or oil.

You can buy Pequin chilli seeds in our shop here.