These pickled yellow biquinho peppers are too easy to eat, and perfect in salads, on pizzas and just as at home on an antipasto or charcuterie board.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
What are Biquinho Peppers?
Biquinho peppers are tiny beak like peppers that were discovered in the wilds of South America. Available in red and yellow, they belong to the Capsicum chinense family, and are a popular chilli to grow and consume in Brazil.
At only 500 – 1000 Scoville units, these little peppers are not hot at all; they are fruity and citrus-like without the heat.
There is also a hot version of the Biquinho Red, called Chupentinho, which measures about 25 000 – 30 000 Scoville units. I’m definitely going to grow those next year.
Both Biquinhos are pretty prolific plants, producing beautiful ornamental pods that start off a pale green, then ripening to either red or yellow. They are not commercially produced and tend to be localised to Brazil, and more often than not, consumed as pickles, where their sweetness really shines through.
Sweety Drop Peppers
The word biquinho means “little beak” in Portuguese, referring to the shape of the peppers. They are also commonly known as sweety drop peppers, given the shape of the pods. And because they are so mild and taste like habaneros minus the heat, you’d be treating them like snack, if you’re not careful!
The pickled biquinho red is a very popular pizza topping, sold as pickled sweety drop peppers, and also referred to as roquito pepper pearls. They are easily available in large supermarkets and delis as well as online.
Click here to buy them on Amazon (affiliate link).
Pickled Biquinho Recipe
This is my my standard quick and easy pickled chilli recipe meant for keeping in the fridge and consuming within a month. I tend to stick with white wine vinegar, keeping the flavouring pretty simple, with garlic, and perhaps some herbs.
Sometimes, I add a liqueur, just for the fun of it, as I’m doing today; I figured a Brazilian pepper deserves a Brazilian spirit, so we’ll be using Cachaça, which is completely optional. It add herbal and grassy notes to our pickling liquid. That’ll make an awesome pickleback! I have to do a post on that!
These pickled biquinhos are not shelf stable. That means you need to store them in the fridge and consume within a month.
It’s a very simple process, this is what we’ll be doing:
- Rinse and dry the biquinhos and place in a sterilised jar.
- Simmer all the other ingredients and pour over the peppers.
- Cool and store, waiting at least 2 days before consuming.
How to Enjoy Pickled Biquinhos?
Any which way you fancy:
- tossed in salads
- on pizzas, as mentioned
- in sandwiches
- with noodles (pickled chillies are a very popular accompaniment to noodles in the Far East)
- place them in a bowl on an antipasto or charcuterie board
- as part of a tapa or mezze spread
- they are amazing with cheeses
No Biquinhos? Substitute them with any chillies you have, mild or otherwise.
Shall we get our aprons on?
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
More Chilli Recipes on LinsFood
Pickled Yellow Biquinho
Equipment
- saucepan
- wooden spoon
- 2 jars for storage (250 ml capacity each)
Ingredients
- 2 cups biquinho peppers (yellow or red) I totally forgot to weigh them, I'll do it next summer!
- 200 ml white wine vinegar or clear vinegar
- 200 ml water
- 100 ml Cachaça optional
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 dried bay leaf or fresh
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch white sugar
Instructions
- Wash and dry the biquinho peppers and place in the sterilsed jars.Click here to read up on how to sterilse jars.
- Bring the vinegar and water to a simmer in a small saucepan, over medium heat and add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, salt and sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the Cachaça, if using. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Pour this pickling brine over the biquinhos in the jars. Wipe the rims and sides clean and seal the jars. Leave on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature, then store in the fridge.Leave at least 2 days for the flavours to develop and the peppers to soften slightly. Consume within a month.
I love, love, love these! Where did you get the seeds to grow them? I must try it next summer!
Hi Rosalind, you’re in the UK, right? There are lots of small sellers on Ebay who specialise in “exotic” seeds. I prefer buying from them instead of our big online sellers. Supporting small businesses and all that.