Brazilian cuisine uses chili peppers (pimentas) differently from most spicy food cultures. Rather than building heat into the cooking itself, Brazilians prefer to serve pepper sauces (molho de pimenta) on the side, allowing each diner to control their own spice level.
The Major Brazilian Pepper Varieties
Malagueta
Brazil's most famous pepper. Small (about 2–3cm), bright red when ripe, and very hot (50,000–100,000 Scoville units). Used to make the classic molho de pimenta, pickled in cachaça, or added sparingly to stews.
Biquinho ("little beak")
A small, teardrop-shaped pepper that is virtually heat-free but has a beautiful sweet-fruity flavor with a slight tangy finish. Enormously popular as a condiment and in salads.
Dedo-de-moça ("lady's finger")
Thin, red, medium-hot pepper. More common than Malagueta in everyday cooking. Used fresh in salsas, dried, or turned into hot sauce.
Traditional Brazilian Pepper Sauce
The simplest version: combine sliced malagueta peppers with white wine vinegar, cachaça, garlic, and salt in a small bottle. Let it infuse for a week. The result is the table condiment found in virtually every Brazilian restaurant.