Chili

Bird's eye chili pepper (chili padi/ cabe rawit)

Thai pepper (Thai: prik ki nu) refers to any of three cultivars of chili pepper, found commonly in Thailand, and also in neighbouring countries, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore. It is also found in India, mainly Kerala, and is used in traditional dishes of kerala cuisine (pronounced in Malayalam as kanthari mulagu).

The hottest form is the bird's eye chili pepper, which is also known as chili padi. This refers to the small size of the chili that reminds people about the small size of paddy (rice), the staple food in the region. It is also known as cili padi (Malay), cabe rawit (Indonesian), phrik khii nuu (พริกขี้หนู, literally "mouse shit chili"), Thai hot, Thai dragon (due to its resemblance to claws), Siling Labuyo (Filipino), Ladâ, and boonie pepper (the Anglicized name).

These tiny little fiery chilis point downward from the plant and their colors change directly from green to red. This type of chili can be found in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines but most commonly in Thailand. Although small in size compared to other types of chili, the chili padi is relatively strong at 50,000 to 100,000 on the Scoville pungency scale. Malaysia consumes about RM140 million worth of chilies each year.

Thai Ornamental

The more decorative but slightly less pungent variety, sometimes known as Thai Ornamental, has peppers that point upward on the plant, and go from green to yellow, orange, and then red. It is the basis for the hybrid Numex twilight, essentially the same but less pungent and starting with purple fruit, creating a rainbow effect, and among the group of capsicum annuum. These peppers can grow wild in places like Saipan. The Chinese in SE Asia call this pepper 'the chili that points to the sky'.