Chili pepper

In Bhutan chili is not a spice but a vegetable – the national dish, ema datshi, is chillies stewed with cheese.

A plant of the nightshade family, perennial in the tropics but grown as an annual; it reaches about 1 m in height. It has ovate leaves, small white flowers and fruits – berries of varying shape and heat that ripen from green to red. Their heat comes from capsaicin, concentrated mainly in the placenta that holds the seeds. The pepper originates from the Americas, from where it spread across the whole of Asia after the 16th century, including the Himalayan valleys.

Significance in the country

Chili is the foundation of Bhutanese cuisine – it is eaten every day as a vegetable, and in autumn the roofs of houses turn red with drying chillies; the national dish, ema datshi, is chili stewed with local cheese.

Where it grows

Grown in home gardens and fields throughout the country, from the warm southern valleys to valleys at about 2,800 m; in autumn drying chillies can be seen on rooftops in every district.

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