Sili Labuyo – Francesco Lucas

Growing up, I was exposed to many spices – willingly and unwillingly – through my family’s traditional cuisine. It wouldn’t be a surprise since half of my family is rooted in Bicol, a province known for its people’s tolerance of spicy food and love of coconut milk. As avid cooks, one spice was a constant in our kitchens: the humble labuyo – an unassuming little chili pepper that looks short and stunted. I never asked where it was from but it was always there, ready to add a kick to our sauces, ready to add an extra dimension to the dining experience. In fact, this little fruit was notorious in our household as we were told it was the spiciest pepper in the world and I was honestly terrified of it as a child – for reasons you can probably guess. But like all things people take for granted, there came a time when I just noticed this little chili pepper had disappeared from our kitchens; replaced by stereotypical long and thin red chilies. What happened?

From a ubiquitous spice imported from a newly discovered continent to a rarity in present times – let’s try to pick apart the pungent, spicy story of our very own native chili.

What is Siling Labuyo?

Chili is an essential part of many Filipino dishes requiring a kick or needing leafy greens. Siling Labuyo (Capsicum frutescens x Capsicum annum), translated from Tagalog as “wild chili”, is a hot chili pepper mainly used for its small but very pungent fruits and its leaves or talbos in Tagalog.

Imported to the Islands from the Americas by the Spanish through the Acapulco-Manila Galleon trade in the late 16th century, these chilies and several sister varieties spread through the rest of Asia and became naturalized along with cultivars of tomatoes, tobacco, and cacao.

A print of an illustration of a chili plant with small fruits made in 1583

to be checked, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Depending on the region, it goes by various names such as siling palay or pinalay, as it grew wild in the farm fields or speculatively, as a reference to its small size. Sprouting spontaneously in fields, forest clearings, and even in city streets, seeds were likely spread by birds and by wildfowl and is hinted in one of the plant’s Engish names: Filipino bird’s-eye chili. And as many gardeners may be familiar, birds will decimate seedlings sown in the open.

Birds are in fact immune to the “hotness” of chili peppers as they lack the receptors the spicy chemical. Through natural selection, these plants were able to target birds as their main propagators, giving any mammal a spicy surprise when eaten.

The world’s hottest pepper

When we think of the hottest chili, the Carolina Reaper comes to mind at 1 million Scoville Units. Our very own Labuyo held this title at 100,000 Scoville units being supplanted by the Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper.

What is a Scoville unit anyway? It’s an attempt to quantify the feeling of hotness from a chili named after similar to the sting pain scale. While stings actually do damage, the heat from chilies is mostly harmless. The sensation Capsaicin is an oily substance that attaches to heat-sensing receptors in mammals’ mucus membranes, this makes it and its derivatives a very effective deterrent and is used for defensive purposes like pepper spray.

Wild not cultivated

The hybrid varieties became preferred due to their pest resistance and ensured farmers higher yields. Soon, the markets became dominated by hybrid chilies as labuyo isn’t economically viable for mass production. Many biological, economic and cultural factors are at play here, according to our volunteer agriculturists.

Due to the current nature of the market, crop varieties are selected for production. When production is the main driver of a crop, this changes how farmers and consumers treat and view the plant – as a product. To meet a certain quota, tried and tested methods like mono-culture and the use of chemicals may be used. Hybrid varieties are bred specifically to be more resistant to pests and diseases, for example, as to accomodate regular agricultural methods. This shouldn’t be viewed as an entirely bad thing, afterall, farmers need to support their families.

Siling labuyo in this context isn’t economically viable as the plant

The plant may not grow well when mono-cultured for production
The use of pesticides in mono-culture kills less-resistant natural pest control
Methods of watering or fertilizing may not be ideal for mass production
Farmers who need to meet their bottom line may use better-suited varieties

However, the love for our native bird’s eye still remains as many people, especially from outside of metro Manila, prefer the native plant.

I’ve noticed in my own practice that this chili prefers the company of different plants preferring to grow amidst the bushes. Attempts at having a ton of seedlings in one place only led to outbreaks of leaf curl and aphids.

Presently local efforts have gained traction in promoting the use and propagation of this endangered variety.

Why the confusion in the first place and what is “real”?

The discussion about what “real” labuyo actually is, is really a discussion about why people should care about heirloom or heritage crops. Each culture’s cuisine is a beautifully colored tapestry of flavors woven using ingredients that bring history to life through flavor. It is something experiential, – can experience their ancestors

Planting Native Chili

First, you’d need to look for a healthy mother plant to acquire mature fruit for seeds. I got my seeds from a neighbor whose kasambahay was incidentally from Bicol. Since the plants can be sensitive, I had very rare success propagating them through cuttings so I’m strongly recommending starting from seed. Capsicums prefer warmer temperatures to germinate but I’ve had good results without heating pads by soaking the seeds overnight in a water/peroxide solution before sowing. These plants grow best in well-draining soil. Protecting the seedlings is a must as birds and insects will most definitely eat the first sprouts.

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