Mexican Habanero Chilli Pepper (Capsicum chinense) seeds

World-famous for their uncompromising heat, Mexican habanero chilies are handled with great caution, minuscule amounts of the tiny fruits spice up a large variety of Mexican dishes. The chili cultivar 'Habanero' is - unlike the name conveys - from Mexico and not from the Caribbean, with its Latin name Capsicum Chinense already suggesting the complex export history - the seeds were exported to Asia at some point, where they were discovered by European biologists who called it 'Chinese pepper' incorrectly. The Mexican Habanero Chili is a very hot classic chili, with 150000-325000 Scoville and the typical orange fruits that look like mini peppers. But beware: the confusion with mini peppers can be very painful.

Connoisseurs describe its flavor as fruity-smoky and almost tropical with a very fast-acting, strong pungency. The fruits of the Mexican varieties are usually 2-6 cm long and about 3 cm wide and yellow to orange colored when ripe. However, there are several Caribbean varieties, such as the 'Red Caribbean', which turn red when they reach maturity.

Habanero pepper bears plenty of fruit most of the time, grows up to 120 cm high, and has rather broad green leaves. The fruits are often used fresh in salsas or dried or pickled. Of course, they are used for seasoning.