Siling labuyo at a Philippine supermarket

''Siling labuyo'' is a small

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

that developed in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

after the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemis ...

. It belongs to the

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

Capsicum frutescens ''Capsicum frutescens'' is a wild chili pepper having plant genetics, genetic proximity to the cultivated pepper ''Capsicum chinense'' native to Central America, Central and South America. Pepper cultivars of ''C. frutescens'' can be annual or sh ...

'' and is characterized by triangular fruits that grow pointing upwards. The fruits and leaves are used in traditional

Philippine cuisine Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct Ethnic groups in the Philippines, ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippines, Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that comp ...

. The fruit is

pungent Pungency ( ) is the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy ( ) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower ...

, ranking at 80,000 to 100,000 heat units in the

Scoville Scale The Scoville scale is a measurement of spiciness of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component. The scale ...

. The cultivar name is Tagalog, and literally translates to "wild chili." It is also known simply as ''labuyo'' or ''labuyo'' chili. Thai

bird's eye chili Bird's eye chili or Thai chili ( owing to its shape) is a chili pepper variety (botany), variety from the species ''Capsicum annuum'' that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. It m ...

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 ''Capsicum annuum'' is a fruiting plant from the family Solanaceae (nightshades), within the genus Capsicum which is native to the northern regions of South America and to southwestern North America. The plant produces Berry, berries of many color ...

'' 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 The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

international catalog of endangered heritage foods of the

by the Slow Food movement.

Taxonomy and names

''Siling labuyo'' is officially known under the cultivar name ''Capsicum frutescens'' 'Siling labuyo'. It belongs to the

''. Related cultivars to 'Siling labuyo' include '

Tabasco Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It i ...

', ' Malagueta', and '

Peri-peri Piri piri ( ), often hyphenated or as one word, and with variant spellings peri-peri () or pili pili, is a cultivar of '' Capsicum frutescens'' from the malagueta pepper. It was originally produced by Portuguese explorers in Portugal's for ...

'. The

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

"wild chili" is derived from the Tagalog words ''sili'' ("chili") and the

enclitic In morphology and syntax, a clitic ( , backformed from Greek "leaning" or "enclitic"Crystal, David. ''A First Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics''. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1980. Print.) is a morpheme that has syntactic characteristics of a ...

suffix ''-ng'', as well as the adjective ''labuyo'' ("growing wild"), which is also a term for wild

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

junglefowl Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. One of the species in this genus, the red junglefowl, is of historical importance as the ...

). 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 Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao (; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela t ...

); and ''luya tiduk'' ( Maranao).''Capsicum Frutescens'' Linn. Sileng-Labuyo
/ref>

Description

Like other ''Capsicum frutescens'' cultivars, ''siling labuyo'' has a compact

habit A habit (or wont, as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. A 1903 paper in the '' American Journal of Psychology'' defined a "habit, from the standpoint of psychology, ...

, 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

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. 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. ''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.

Ingredient in cooking

Although not as central in

Filipino cuisine Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of more than a hundred distinct Ethnic groups in the Philippines, ethnolinguistic groups found throughout the Philippines, Philippine archipelago. A majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that comp ...

as bird's eye chilies are in other cuisines of Southeast Asia, 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. 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 Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

, and patis (Filipino

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

). ''Siling labuyo'' is also an essential ingredient in ''

palapa Palapa is a series of communications satellites owned by Indosat, an Indonesian telecommunications company (formerly by Telkom Indonesia, Perumtel and then by PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia/Satelindo). The first satellite was launched in July 197 ...

'', a sweet and spicy condiment made with

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, and

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

that is central to the cuisine of the

Maranao people The Maranao people (Maranao language, Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino language, Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino people, Filipino ethnic groups of the ...

. ''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.

Natural pesticide use

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.

Integrated Pest Management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization defines IPM as "the careful consideratio ...

(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.

Commonly confused cultivars

Several introduced chili cultivars are increasingly being mislabeled as "siling labuyo" in Philippine markets (especially in

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

), 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 Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a s ...

, but they are regarded as less spicy than ''siling labuyo''. These mislabeled cultivars include the red

("Thai chili"), which is actually a

cultivar from a different species ('' Capsicum annuum'') that came by way of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Their fruits, unlike ''C. frutescens'', are borne on the plant drooping down. In

, '' siling tingala'' and '' siling tari'', high-yield

F1 hybrid F1 hybrid (also known as filial 1 hybrid) is the first filial generation of offspring of distinctly different parental types. F1 hybrids are used in genetics, and in selective breeding, where the term F1 crossbreed may be used. The term is somet ...

s of ''C. frutescens'' and ''C. annuum'' from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

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.

References

External links

* {{Capsicum Cultivars Spices Chili peppers Medicinal plants Capsicum cultivars