Description
Chilli Name : TURKISH PEPPER
Chilli Species : Annuum
Chilli Origin : Turkey
Chilli Heat : Medium (10,000–30,000 SHU)
Turkish Pepper — known locally as “Türk Biberi” — is a traditional Turkish Capsicum annuum variety widely used across the country’s diverse regional cuisines. It represents a family of chillies rather than a single strain, grown for balanced heat, strong flavour, and deep red colour used in everything from meze and kebabs to pastes and pickles.
Pods are elongated and slightly curved, about 10–15 cm long, ripening from green to deep crimson red. The flavour is earthy, slightly smoky, and full-bodied, with medium heat typically between 10,000–30,000 SHU. When dried and ground, it produces a rich red pepper powder similar to isot and pul biber, both staples in Turkish cooking.
Plants are vigorous and upright (70–100 cm tall), producing heavy crops of uniform fruit through the season. Well suited to warm, dry climates, it also performs reliably under greenhouse cultivation. The pods dry easily, retaining their deep colour and flavour, making them ideal for powder or flake production.
Seeds germinate best at 26–30 °C, sprouting in 10–21 days. Plants mature in about 90–100 days, fruiting steadily through summer.
