Chili Peppers

Appears in

By Fran Osseo-Asare and Barbara Baëta

Published 2015

  • About
Chilies vary in size, shape, length, aroma, and color, but it is primarily the variation in their heat from capsaicin oil that distinguishes them. They range in color from red and green to yellow and orange, and are used both fresh and dried. Though originally from the Americas, they have spread throughout the world.

There are five basic species of Capsicum peppers, though hundreds of varieties: C. annuum, C. baccautum, C. Chinense, C. frutescens, C. pubescens. The most common chili peppers in Ghana come from the C. Chinense family. Ghanaians (especially outside of Ghana) love Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. My personal favorite from Ghana is the green kpakpo shito with its distinctive fruity aroma. I cherish the hope that this pepper will one day find its way across the ocean.