0317-1553 TCXPaprika

Byadgi Chilli

Byadgi holds the highest ASTA colour value in Indian commercial trade at 156.9, with negligible capsaicin. It is the chilli the oleoresin industry runs on — and the second-largest chilli business in India by turnover.

156.9

ASTA colour value

Botanical name: Capsicum annuum
Known as: Byadagi Menasinakayiಬ್ಯಾಡಗಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ
Origin: Byadgi, Haveri district
Harvest: December – March

Dried red chillies arranged on a dark surface

The story

Origin14°40′ N

ByadgiHaveri

Karnataka75°29′ E

Byadgi received its Geographical Indication in February 2011 under GI number 129. The town it is named for, in Haveri district, runs one of the largest chilli yards in the country.

Its commercial value is chemical rather than culinary. Roughly 50 litres of oleoresin can be extracted from a tonne of Byadgi chillies, and cold storage at 4–6 °C before extraction raises that yield by 30–40%. The extract goes into food colour, and beyond food entirely — into lipsticks and nail polish.

Two types divide the crop. Dabbi is short, plump and seed-heavy, preferred for masala blending and the cosmetics trade. Kaddi is gnarled, thin and long with fewer seeds. Both read as mild: 5,000–15,000 SHU, with negligible capsaicin content.

[ Why here ]

ByadgiHaveri · Karnataka

Red loam over the Karnataka plateau, with a harvest cured slowly enough that the capsanthin sets without scorching. Handled well, it produces a colour value more than double that of a standard hot chilli.

Specification

GI 129 · February 2011

Registered as a Geographical Indication of Karnataka.

Measured