The cultivar name is Tagalog, and literally translates to "wild chili."[1] It is also known simply as labuyo or labuyo chili.[3]Thaibird's eye chili are commonly confused with Labuyo in the Philippines, though they are cultivars of two different species, and much larger fruit.[4]Siling labuyo is one of two common kinds of local chili found in the Philippines, the other being siling haba (a Capsicum annuum cultivar).[5]
Siling labuyo is generally accepted as the world's smallest hot pepper, as the fruit often measures a mere 0.20in (0.51cm) in length by 0.10in (0.25cm) in width.[6]
The common name "wild chili" is derived from the Tagalog 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).[1][8] Other local names for it include chileng bundok, siling palay, pasitis, pasite (Tagalog); katumbal, kutitot, siling kolikot (Bisaya); katumba or lara jangay (Tausug); sili ti diablo/sairo (Ilocano); lada,sambalas, rimorimo (Bicolano); paktin (Ifugao); and luya tiduk (Maranao).[9]
Description
A mature siling labuyo bush
Like other Capsicum frutescens cultivars, siling labuyo has a compact habit, growing between 0.8 and 1.5m (2ft 7in and 4ft 11in) high. They have smooth ovate to lanceolate leaves that are around 64mm (2.5in) in length with pointed tips. They produce small greenish-white flowers with purple stamens. These develop into a large number of small, tapering fruits that are around 25mm (1in) 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.[1][10][11][12]
Siling labuyo fruits are small but are very hot. It measures around 80,000-100,000 Scoville units which is at the lower end of the range for the hotter habanero chili.[2]
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).[14][15][16]
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.[14]
Siling labuyo can be used as a natural pesticide 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.[19][20]
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.[21]
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.[1][22][23][24]
These mislabeled cultivars include the red bird's eye chili ("Thai chili"), which is actually a chili pepper cultivar from a different species (Capsicumannuum) that came by way of Thailand. Their fruits, unlike C. frutescens, are borne on the plant drooping down.[4] 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.[22]
Chili cultivars commonly mislabeled as labuyo chili
Siling tingala, an F1 hybrid commonly mislabeled as "silinglabuyo" in Luzon markets
Siling tari, named after cockfighting spurs (tari), due to the direction of growth of the fruits. It is also commonly mislabeled as "siling labuyo" in markets
↑ "Siling-labuyo". Philippine Medicinal Plants. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
↑ "Hot pepper"(PDF). Republic of Philippines, Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
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