[CH] Piri-Piri
Peter Moss (pmoss@yoda.alt.za)
Wed, 4 Apr 2001 18:05:01 RSA-2
> Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2001 18:20:40 -0400
> From: Myron Menaker <myronm@bellsouth.net>
> My Portuguese neighbors gave me a bottle of "Piri-Piri." It's
> made in Portugal. The ingredients list says only "chiles."
[snip]
> Didn't someone say recently that, to the Portuguese and some
> Africans...ALL chiles are "piri-piri?"
To different people the name means different things. Piri-piri
is Swahili for hot-hot. It being common in African languages
for added emphasis to repeat the word.
The chile in question is a probably a regression now a land race
type that grows wild throughout tropical Africa. There are some
variations in size but that is about all. It is C. frutescens
and the closest USA chile would be C. frutescens var tabasco.
I am sure you could substitute tabasco chiles and nobody would
notice the difference ;-) Nor would I let the lack of this
chile prevent me from trying. Habs will do as well with a
slightly different taste. May even be better. ;-)
Don't over do the salt as piri-piri sauce is not very salty.
There are probably as many different recipes for piri-piri sauce
as there are makers. The most popular seem to combine chiles,
salt, vinegar and/or lemon juice. Sometimes a small amount of
oil is also added. In Africa it would be sunflower seed oil.
Great slathered on chicken and roasted or better BBQed. Lots of
lemon/lime juice helps with chicken. Marinading for a couple of
hours is also a good idea. Splash on as much as you like while
cooking as well.
Regards
Peter
--
Peter Moss
After one hundred and fifty years and many thousands of firearms
control laws to reduce crime the list of successes should be
long and illustrious. Where is the list?