Maldives

In the Maldives, hot peppers are a key component of home gardens and island agriculture. The most common types are small, very hot bird’s eye chilies (locally known as githeyo mirus), along with Indian green finger chilies and occasional habanero or Scotch bonnet introduced via trade.

Githeyo mirus is central to Maldivian cuisine: finely chopped into mashuni (tuna–coconut breakfast salad), into lonu mirus (chili–lime–salt condiment), and into riha (curries) and fish soups. Fresh chilies are mixed with lime and onions as a standard table relish, and dried bird’s eye chilies are ground for curry masalas.

There is little large-scale export, but githeyo mirus and similar local chilies are culturally important and define the heat profile of Maldivian dishes far more than imported sauces.