Collection: Rwanda

In Rwanda, hot peppers are increasingly important for export and local use. Smallholders grow bird’s eye chili (African bird’s eye), Scotch bonnet/habanero, and long red annuum types, often under contract farming schemes for export to Europe as fresh chilies or dried/processed products.

Domestically, piment is used in sauces for beans, matoke (plantain), cassava, and meat stews; simple relishes of crushed bird’s eye chilies with tomato and onion are common sides. Bird’s eye chilies also go into pili-pili sauces. Rwanda imports some processed hot sauces but is becoming a notable exporter of fresh bird’s eye and habanero to European retailers and processors.

Flavours tend toward piercing heat and, in the case of habanero, fruity notes that complement starchy staples.