Thai Giant Pepper
All peppers originate from Central and South America. People say that when Europeans began bringing seeds and plants to Eurasia in the 1500’s, it took just a few decades for domesticated vegetables like peppers to travel to every corner of Africa and Eurasia. Seeds have a life of their own, and they pass from hand to hand so easily.
Thailand is known for its spicy food. But, prior to the 1500’s, there were no chilis in Thailand. Today, Thai chilis have a distinct physical appearance—you can tell if a pepper plant is a Thai chili even before there are peppers on the plant.
In 2022, we ordered some seeds from Seed Savers Exchange called “Thai Giant”, not knowing what to expect. They have thrived in Colorado’s dry, sunny climate. The peppers are “giant” simply because they are so much wider than the average Thai chili. Each pepper is only an inch or so long, but they will get up to a half inch wide! In western Colorado, Thai Giant chilis are are some of the earliest spicy peppers on the plants each year, and they’ve been a staple in our hot sauce production. They’re a little less spicy than other Thai chilis, which makes them more approachable. The plants are short in stature, which helps them in drought conditions. Even if the plants only grow one foot tall, they produce tons of peppers!
A big thanks to the Seed Savers Exchange for facilitating seed sharing between seed stewards all over North America. It’s free to join and list your seeds to share with other gardeners, and many seeds available through Seed Savers are not available commercially anywhere in the world.