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Varieties from Cape Verde

saugapepper

saugapepper

Has anyone come across any varieties from the small African island nation of Cape Verde? As a former Portugues colony, I'd imagine they have their own version of the piri-piri (peri-peri) pepper.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
 
 
saugapepper said:
Speaking Canary Islands, I should ask Semillas.de. Is he still on here?

Guess I will have to email Peter, his mailbox is full on here. :(
Click to expand...
 
I'm sure he'd respond to his business email on his site...
 
So I heard back from Peter. He has never come across a pepper from Cape Verde. Looks like I am going to have to contact the Cape  Verdean community in the US state of Massachusetts if I hope for any luck!
 
Strange but true:  they don't even grow peri-peri in Portugal.  Down here in Cape Town we have a huge Portugues community - most of whom came from Madeira.  In all my years eating at  Portuguese friends' houses I never encountered any seriously hot chili.  Cayenne was about as hot as it got and it was used sparingly.
 
It would seem the use of peri-peri was something that was localised.  It doesn't appear to be a general thing.  I'd hazard to say that the perpetuation of these chilis is actually resultant from the local indigenous communities.  You don't get peri-peri chicken in Portugal.  Nor do you get trinchado.  These are concoctions developed in some of the colonies (as a result of local dishes evolving or even just new creations by expats).
 
I have a peri peri type pepper from Portugal which I bought from Two Wings farms here in Canada and another that I got from a Portuguese co-worker whose father colllected it at a family fam in southern Portugal many years ago. The second peppers grows considerably smaller here in Canada though it was always open polluntated for many years before I got it so who knows how it has mutated since... but yes as a whole I'd say Portuguese colonies hold on to the peri peri pepper much more than mainlaind Portugal. I could be wrong though...
 
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