Other Names    Amash, amomo, bird, bravo, chilillo, chilipiquin, chilpaya, chilequin, chiltipiquin, del monte, huarahuao, max, piquen     

Flavor    Very hot, 8 to 9 

Shape   Ovoid, .25 inch long by .75 inch in diameter   

Color   Fresh    Green to red, some nearly black, glossy
            Dried    Brownish red  

Fresh   Found in markets and grows wild throughout the southwest  

Dried    Found in ethnic markets

Processed   Some pickled in the Southwest

Discription   This is a tiny pea-shaped chile that grows wild throughout Mexico and some parts of the Southwestern U.S. They are among the hottest peppers available, measuring about 100,000 Scoville units. The plants can grow to 4 feet and are capable of living for years where the climate allows. These fiery little red peppers are popular for spicing up soups and bean dishes.

One favored use is to fill a sauce bottle 3/4 full of peppers and cover with vinegar and let sit a while, then use as a hot sauce over vegetables etc.

Available Cultivars   The variously spelled common name is a corruption of the original Nahuatl (a language spoken by the Aztec people living in Mexico when Cortes arrived and still spoken by at least 1.5 million people in Mexico) name, chiltecpin (pronounced chill-tech-peen) used by pre-Columbian Amerindians. South Texans call them chilpequin or chilipequin, however, in Mexico chiltepin (pronounced chill-tey-peem) is used for the more common ovoid shaped chilli.