Take a closer look at (the real) siling labuyo and siling haba, the Philippines’ two local chillies popular in Filipino cuisine
If you're a certified chilli head, you must be familiar with the two essential Filipino peppers: siling labuyo and siling haba. However, with such a diverse range of other interesting chillies in the market, both native to the Philippines and from around the world, distinguishing them from others may pose a challenge. Spice things up with us and learn more about these chillies, including how they're used, alternate names, and common points of confusion, below:
Siling Labuyo
One of the most popular chillies in the Philippines is siling labuyo or "wild chilli" in English. Though small in size, the red hot chilli packs a real punch at 100,000 Scoville units. The chilli is commonly used in sinamak, a spiced vinegar infused with aromatics and spices that makes a delicious dipping sauce or sawsawan for grilled meats, seafood, and more.
Although siling labuyo was once one of the most commonly found chillies in the country, the Slow Food foundation notes that true Filipino siling labuyo is now under threat, as commercial importers have brought in similar peppers from neighbouring countries such as the Thai bird's eye chilli (siling tingala). These chillies are often falsely advertised as siling labuyo, thus threatening the local supply, though they are not nearly as spicy and far larger than the authentic siling labuyo.
See also: What is Tuba? More about the Philippines' delicious coconut wine