Benin

In Benin, hot peppers are an important smallholder crop, particularly in southern and central regions where Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens varieties flourish. Farmers produce a range of local chilies—similar to African bird’s eye and peri-peri types—sold fresh in markets or dried and ground into powders used in home cooking and street food.

Chiles season key dishes such as akpan (fermented maize porridge with spicy sauces), peanut stews, and fish or goat in tomato-based gravies. A common condiment is a simple chili paste made by pounding fresh hot peppers with garlic, onion, and oil, served alongside grilled fish, fried yams, and beans.

Women often control local processing and trade, drying surplus chilies and selling powdered pepper in small packets. While export volumes are modest, peppers are economically significant in local food systems and central to the heat and flavour profile of Southern Beninese cuisine.