From the Capsicum annuum type of chiles, Byadgi Chiles are an extremely popular chile with a flavor that is fruity and earthy. It is the type of chile that has a heat that lingers in the mouth long after it’s been eaten. This chile is a popular one to be made into a chile powder as it is vibrantly red and maintains its color through cooking.

This chile is known for its essential oil, oleoresin, that is used as a natural dye in the food industry as well as the cosmetics industry.

The Byadgi Chile may also be called the kaddi chile, dabbi chile, bedgi chile, byadagi chile, the stick-like chile, or the byadgi chili.

History of the Byadgi Chile 

Each year, Byadgi Chiles are sold in a market specifically dedicated to their sales. These markets attract many buyers from all over the world, though predominantly the buyers are from India as the Byadgi chile is a staple chile in the Indian diet. The Byadgi Chile market is huge for the economy, as it brings in about 75 million USD to the area every year.

Today, it is mostly women who are tasked with breaking the stems off of byadgi chiles destined for the cosmetics industry, or those that will be made into chile powder. Women will sit and manually break the stems off the chiles with their hands, a job that is very tough on the skin of the hands because of the capsaicin in the chiles. These chiles are often harvested for their oleoresin, which is used in manufacturing lipstick and nail polish. Oleoresin is a red oil with lots of pigment to it, and it takes about 1 ton of Byadgi Chiles to produce just 50 liters of oleoresin.

Byadgi Chile Cultivation 

Byadgi Chiles grow very similarly to other chile varieties. They require a decent amount of water and can begin to flower as early as 40 days after being planted. Like many other chile varieties, these chile plants are susceptible to root rot if they are overwatered. Chile plants are typically watered in the morning so the sun can help evaporate the water throughout the day. If watered at too late in the day, the plant is at risk for becoming water-logged. The chiles mature from a green to a vibrant red and tend to grow to be about 5 inches long. They are tapered and very wrinkly, especially when dried. Unlike many other chile plants, these ones don’t have an enormous yield. Newer types of Byadgi have been singled out for their higher yield, and so they have been more popular with farmers who are hoping for more chiles. These varieties are more drought tolerant and resistant to pests. Annual production of Byadgi Chiles is roughly 46,000 pounds, or 21,000 kilograms.

Where is the Byadgi Chile from? 

Our Byadgi Chiles are grown in India.

How Hot is the Byadgi Chile? 

The Byadgi Chile has a heat range of 15,000 to 25,000 SHU. This is a hot chile, but not overwhelmingly so.

What types of Byadgi Chiles are there? 

There are two types of Byadgi chile, the dabbi or the kaddi. Dabbi are plump and sometimes shorter, but still wrinkly. They are also thought to be slightly less spicy than the kaddi, which are the longer of the two and somewhat slimmer. The differences are minor, but they are worth mentioning.

Are Byadgi Chiles and Kashmiri Chiles the Same? 

While the two are often used interchangeably, they are not the same chile. The Kashmiri chile is much more mild than the Byadgi Chile, though Kashmiri Chile Powder is used for the same kind of color enhancement that Byadgi Chiles are used for as well.

How Do You Rehydrate a Byadgi Chile? 

You can rehydrate a Byadgi Chile by covering it with hot water and letting it soak for 20 to 30 seconds. You don’t want to use boiling water as that will ruin the integrity of the chile, but hot water is the key to properly rehydrating.

Cooking with the Byadgi Chile 

The Byadgi Chile can be used to give both flavor and color to a dish. In Indian cuisine, it is often ground up and used in masalas. In Indonesian cuisine, you may find it used in sambal. It’s great with pork, strong cheeses, and yogurt soups like kadhi.

These chiles make for a great cold chile oil sauce for pasta. Simply crush or bruise 3 to 5 chiles depending on how much flavor you want, and then add them to a cup of olive oil. Let the chiles sit in the olive oil for about 30 minutes. After 20 minutes has passed, chop about 4oz of mozzarella cheese into small pieces and tear a sprig of fresh basil finely, bruising the leaves in your hands so they can release their oils. Cut up two smaller to medium sized tomatoes and in a small bowl, combine the cheese, basil, and tomatoes. Stir your chile oil then remove the chiles. Pour the oil into the bowl with the other ingredients and incorporate. This sauce tastes wonderful over freshly cooked pasta and has a nice zing to it. The brightness of the basil and creaminess of the mozzarella is wonderfully complemented by the taste of the chile oil. Tomatoes work in this sauce recipe because their fruitiness works nicely to exaggerate the sweetness of the chile.

What Does the Byadgi Chile Taste Like? 

The Byadgi Chile is a spicy chile with a heat that is not extremely overwhelming. It has a very warm, earthy chile flavor with a little bit of sweetness to it. It does tend to linger in the mouth, and after you’ve eaten some of it, you are sure to feel it on your lips for quite some time after you’ve finished.

Substitutions and Conversions for the Byadgi Chile 

Since Byadgi Chiles are often celebrated for their color, you can use them in place of other colorful chiles or chile powders like paprika. If you use them in place of paprika however, keep in mind that this chile is much, much spicier than your standard paprika and adjust accordingly. You don’t want to anticipate the flavor of paprika and then burn your mouth!

Read More 

The Byadgi Chile
The Flavors of Chiles
How to Rehydrate Chiles 
You Might be a Chile Head...