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Siling labuyo is a small chili pepper cultivar that developed in the Philippines after the Columbian Exchange. It belongs to the species Capsicum frutescens and is characterized by triangular fruits that grow pointing upwards. (2025). 9780881929201, Timber Press. ISBN 9780881929201 The fruits and leaves are used in traditional Philippine cuisine. The fruit is pungency, ranking at 80,000 to 100,000 heat units in the Scoville Scale.
The cultivar name is Tagalog language, and literally translates to "wild chili." It is also known simply as labuyo or labuyo chili. Thailand bird's eye chili are commonly confused with Labuyo in the Philippines, though they are cultivars of two different species, and much larger fruit. Siling labuyo is one of two common kinds of local chili found in the Philippines, the other being siling haba (a Capsicum annuum cultivar).
Siling labuyo is generally accepted as the world's smallest hot pepper, as the fruit often measures a mere in length by in width.
It is listed in the Ark of Taste international catalog of endangered food heritage of the Philippines by the Slow Food movement.
The common name "wild chili" is derived from the Tagalog language words sili ("chili") and the enclitic suffix -ng, as well as the adjective labuyo ("growing wild"), which is also a term for wild chicken or junglefowl). Other local names for it include chileng bundok, siling palay, pasitis, pasite (Tagalog language); katumbal, kutitot, siling kolikot (Bisaya); katumba or lara jangay (Tausug language); sili ti diablo/sairo (Ilokano language); lada, sambalas, rimorimo (Bikol languages); paktin (Ifugao language); and luya tiduk (Maranao language). Capsicum Frutescens Linn. Sileng-Labuyo
Siling labuyo fruits are small but are very hot. It measures around 80,000-100,000 Scoville scale which is at the lower end of the range for the hotter habanero chili.
The most common use of siling labuyo, however, is in dipping sauces ( sawsawan), which almost universally accompanies fried or grilled Filipino dishes. Unlike in western cuisines, these dipping sauces are created by the diner according to their preferences and are not made beforehand. Siling labuyo is almost always offered as an optional spicy element, alongside calamansi, soy sauce, vinegar, and patis (Filipino fish sauce).
Siling labuyo is also an essential ingredient in palapa, a sweet and spicy condiment made with , coconut, ginger, and turmeric that is central to the cuisine of the Maranao people.
Siling labuyo can also used to make Filipino-style spiced vinegar (like sinamak and sukang pinakurat) which is also used as a dipping sauce. Instead of mixing fresh chilis on the table, the vinegar itself is infused with a large amount of siling labuyo and other spices and stored in bottles or mason jars. They can be kept for long periods in the refrigerator and their taste develops with time.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology suggests that natural pest control mechanisms are beneficial and that the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems is encouraged.
These mislabeled cultivars include the red Thai pepper ("Thai chili"), which is actually a chili pepper cultivar from a different species ( Capsicum annuum) that came by way of Thailand. Their fruits, unlike C. frutescens, are borne on the plant drooping down. In Luzon, siling tingala and siling tari, high-yield F1 hybrids of C. frutescens and C. annuum from Taiwan are also commonly sold as siling labuyo. While they have C. frutescens ancestry (the fruits are also borne somewhat erect), they are much longer and uniformly red, similar to Thai bird's eye chilis.
Taxonomy and names
Siling labuyo is officially known under the cultivar name 'Capsicum frutescens 'Siling labuyo. It belongs to the species Capsicum frutescens''. Related cultivars to 'Siling labuyo' include 'Tabasco pepper', 'Malagueta pepper', and 'Peri-peri'.
Description
Like other Capsicum frutescens cultivars, siling labuyo has a compact habit, growing between high. They have smooth ovate to lanceolate leaves that are around in length with pointed tips. They produce small greenish-white flowers with purple . These develop into a large number of small, tapering fruits that are around in length. The fruits are very pungent and are characteristically borne erect (pointing upwards). Immature fruits are deep green in color and usually ripen to a vivid red. Depending on maturity and the variety, they can display a range of other colors, including yellow, orange, white, or a vivid purple. Flowers and fruits are often clustered in groups of 2 to 3 at a node.
Ingredient in cooking
Although not as central in Filipino cuisine as Thai pepper are in other Asian cuisine, it is still an often-used ingredient. Its leaves are usually consumed as a vegetable, such as in dishes like tinola.Nagpala, Ellaine Grace. (2007). A fresh look at siling labuyo. BAR Chronicle 8(10). Retrieved October 22, 2009.
Natural pesticide use
Siling labuyo can be used as a biopesticide on crops in the Philippines. The fruit, skin and seeds of siling labuyo are all effective for ants, aphids, caterpillars, Colorado beetle, cabbage worms, warehouse and storage pests.
Commonly confused cultivars
Several introduced chili cultivars are increasingly being mislabeled as "siling labuyo" in Philippine markets (especially in Luzon), because these cultivars are generally easier to grow and harvest than siling labuyo. Their color and shape are also more consistent and they have a longer shelf life, but they are regarded as less spicy than siling labuyo.
See also
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