Cocos Islands

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, another small Australian Indian Ocean territory, host a tiny community whose food system relies heavily on imports. Hot peppers are grown informally in home gardens—typically bird’s eye chili, long green chilies, and other Southeast Asian types brought by Malay-origin Cocos Malays, as well as occasional jalapeño or cayenne from Australian seed sources.

These chilies flavour Malay-style curries, sambal belacan, and coconut-rich fish dishes, echoing Indonesian and Malaysian culinary traditions. Fresh chilies are sliced into soy or vinegar dipping sauces, and surplus may be sun-dried.

There is no commercial chili industry or recognized Cocos-specific cultivar; capsicums are purely for local cooking. Imported dried chilies and bottled sauces like sambal oelek and sriracha supplement the limited but culturally important homegrown bird’s eye–type peppers.