Fresh Scotch Bonnet Chillies (5 fruits)

The hugely popular Scotch Bonnet is used extensively throughout the Caribbean. The flavour is similar to other 'Habanero-type' chillies. The fruits are used to make hot sauces throughout the Caribbean. And the fresh fruits are often left to simmer as whole fruits in stews, soups and broths. This allows the fruit to release its rich fruity aroma without too much heat. The name 'Scotch Bonnet' comes from its resemblance to a Tam o'shanter hat.

There is a lot of confusion and misinformation around Scotch Bonnets. They are often purported as having a shape similar to a Bishop's Crown Chilli or a Jamaican Mushroom. While the name Scotch Bonnet suggests that is is similar to a Bishop's Crown, its has a completely different heat profile than the much milder Bishop's Crown. It has a heat level similar to a Jamaican Mushroom which can be either yellow or red. Additionally, Scotch Bonnets are Capsicum Chinense whereas Bishop's Crown are Capsicum Baccatum.

There has been intense cross breading of Scotch Bonnets over the years such that there is a wide variety of shapes and sizes and possibly no true original archetypical Scotch Bonnet. In fact, across the Caribbean where this chilli grows naturally, there are an almost infinite number of hybrids due to intentional cross breading and natural hybridization. We believe that this variety we have in stock is representative of the characteristics of what you'd expect from a good Scotch Bonnet chilli in terms of flavour profile and heat level. Have a look at the photo on the left that compares 6 fruits from the same plant - you can see that even on the same parent plant, there is a wide range of phenotypical variations. In the end, who cares what it actually looks like as it's all about the taste and heat with these chillies!

Information

Amount: minimum 5 fruits (but will vary throughout the season).

Colour: green to red.

Flavour: Renowned for their deep aromatic and fruity smell and flavour.

Heat: 200,000 SHUs

Storage

Fresh chillies keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. All chillies freeze well and slicing and pickling is another way to preserve chillies.