What kind of chile is this?

[TanyaK]

This might be the silly question of the day but here goes :-) Here in SA they just sell everything as "chillies" and most of it looks like this. It's 5cm long but weigh only 4 grams. It looks like a jalapeno (or cayenne pepper?) but apparently jalapenos are bigger. So can anyone please tell me what kind of chilli this is ?

[Andy M.]

That could be a jalapeno.

A cayenne is thinner and a little wrinkled. Look here for more pictures.

[Bilby]

Looks to me like a Bird's Eye Chilli which are hot. I know some people eat them straight but I don't think they have any taste buds left!!! LOL I never ever buy small chilies. The general rule as I understand it is, the smaller the chili, the hotter the heat. If you want to use it and minimise the heat component (but won't eliminate it), remove not only the seeds but the inner ribbings too.
Bird's-eye Chile Pepper: Cooking Terms: RecipeTips.com

[Bilby]

Here are another couple of links for you:
Piri piri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pepper Profile: African Birdseye

[Lizannd]

a good one.

[Jeff G.]

looks like a Serrano to me. One of the best flavored of all the Chilis. They can be quite hot!

[Uncle Bob]

There are as many as 200 different varieties of chiles that have been identified give or take a few. New ones are being devleoped by plant geneticists all the time, plus chilies freely cross pollinate so you can see the almost impossibility of definitively identifying a random pepper. As Lizannd said, Serrano was my first guess, followed by Fiesta, but it could really be something different. Why not ask some local vendors/growers what they call it.

Have Fun & Enjoy!

[auntdot]

I agree with those who call it a serrano. We have some in our fridge. Like all peppers, they start green and wind up ripe, in this case red.

They are hotter than a jalapeno but are not torrid like a Scotch bonnet or habanero. So be careful.

[TanyaK]

Thank you all - will let you know when I know for sure !

[sage™]

that looks like a cayenne or serrano to me. Cayenne's flesh is tight to the seeds and a bit thinner(the flesh) than a serrano.

[GrillingFool]

I have seen them identified as a Holland chili, too.

[mbasiszta]

Originally Posted by TanyaK

This might be the silly question of the day but here goes :-) Here in SA they just sell everything as "chillies" and most of it looks like this. It's 5cm long but weigh only 4 grams. It looks like a jalapeno (or cayenne pepper?) but apparently jalapenos are bigger. So can anyone please tell me what kind of chilli this is ?

Mate, that is a Serrano chili. It is hotter than a jalapeño, but not as hot as a Scotch Bonnet. The Serrano actually gets a little less hot and a bit more sweet if you let them ripen to red on the vine.