Spice
Bird's Eye
A tier
Bird’s eye chillies are small, slender, very hot pods of Southeast Asian cookery (prik kee noo and relatives). Thin flesh delivers quick, sharp heat in Thai, Vietnamese, and neighbouring cuisines—often C. annuum though naming varies regionally. Pound into curry pastes, slice into fish sauce dips, or fry whole. Green and red stages both used. Heat outpaces jalapeños dramatically despite tiny size.
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Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
DriedFlakeFreshPickledPowderRoastedSauceSmoked
Traits
BrightPungentSharpSharp HotSmallSmall HotSoutheast AsianThin Flesh
History
TH
Small hot chillies naturalised into Southeast Asian cuisines after introduction.
TH
Bird’s eye types became everyday Thai heat sources.
Global Thai restaurants created export demand for bird’s eye.
Frozen and fresh bird’s eyes became supermarket multicultural staples.