Hawaiian Chili Pepper

The Hawaiian chili pepper, known in the islands as nīoi, is a small, fiercely hot red chili variety of Capsicum frutescens, the same wild species behind tabasco, piri-piri, and the bird’s eye chilis of the tropics. Though only introduced to Hawaii in the early 1800s, it took root as a backyard perennial and became local to the bone. Its signature use is chili pepper water, or wai nīoi, a table condiment of crushed peppers steeped with salt, vinegar, and water that will almost always sit beside poke, lau lau, and plate lunch alike.