The Cherry Pepper also known as the Cherry Chili, chili tomato, or Hungarian cherry pepper is a fantastic chili to grow. This mild to hot pepper is commercially grown in the USA, Europe and Mexixo. The Cherry Pepper has been documented as far back as 1543.
The peppers produced by these plants are small and round, they resemble a cherry tomato. Peppers range from mild to hot and register 5000-8000 scoville scale units.
The cherry peppers grow a dark green colour and as they ripen they will change to a very vibrant red. Truly a spectacular plant to have.
The chili tomato is commonly used in Asian, Southwestern, Mediterranean, Portuguese, African and Mexican cuisine because of the size and shape. This chili is a great garnish and really puts some colour into food especially salads.
These chilies are also great for stuffing or picking because of the thick fruit walls and round shape. Due to the thick walls this chili cannot be dried.
As with most chili’s this plant enjoys hot climates, well drained soil and generous amounts of water. Maturity takes approximately 120 days. These plants can mature and fruit at a small size so they are great for a small bench or windowsill.
We have a Chili tomato plant in our inner city apartment and we get one full ripe fruit each week from the plant. We bought it at a mature age at a local hardware store for $6AU and it only stands 40cm tall. We would highly recommend the cherry pepper to anyone wanting a small but very colorful chili tree.