The Caribbean Trinidad perfume pepper is preferred as a seasoning pepper for its flavor and delicious scent rather than its heat. The habanero relative looks and tastes much like habaneros, without all the heat. Some even call it the 'heatless habanero.'
What Is Trinidad Perfume Pepper?
Trinidad perfume peppers are habanero-type mild peppers with little to no heat. The peppers are originally from Trinidad and Tobago, a country in the Caribbean.
As the name suggests, Trinidad perfume peppers are related to some of the hottest peppers in the world. But they are sweet peppers that don’t measure up to the heat levels of their relatives, Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers.
Trinidad perfume peppers get the perfume moniker from the fruity aroma they produce during cooking, much like the typical orange habanero with its fruity scent.
The peppers belong to the Capsicum chinense species alongside their relatives: habaneros, scotch bonnets, and Trinidad scorpion peppers.
Color
When fully ripened, Trinidad perfume peppers start light green and turn bright yellow or golden orange-yellow (yellowish-orange). They are harvested when yellow or orange-yellow.
Size And Shape
The crown-headed, lantern-shaped Trinidad perfume peppers resemble habaneros in shape and size. Some develop a scorpion-like tail like the one seen in Trinidad scorpion peppers.
Trinidad perfume chili peppers reach 1-1.5 inches long and 1-1.25 inches wide at full maturity.
Texture
Trinidad perfume chilis have glossy skin that flows over medium-thin flesh.
Flavor
While they don’t shine in the heat arena like their Capsicum chinense superhot relatives, Trinidad perfume peppers make amends in their flavor. They have a sweet, slightly citrusy, fruity flavor with smoky undertones. Typical habaneros have a close flavor profile.
The flavor profile of Trinidad perfume peppers makes them ideal seasoning peppers. These sweet or mildly hot pepper varieties impart flavor to dishes without all the heat.
How Hot Are Trinidad Perfume Peppers?
A score of 0-500 Scoville Heat Units places Trinidad perfume chilis in the mild peppers category. They are in a close heat range as other sweet and mildly hot peppers like banana peppers (0-500 SHUs), shishito peppers (50-200 SHUs), and tangerine dream peppers (0-100 SHUs).
Some call Trinidad perfume the ‘heatless habanero,’ but this description better fits the habanada pepper (Capsicum annuum) with its habanero-like fruity flavor and zero heat.
At their zero-heat floor, Trinidad perfume peppers are at par with other zero-heat peppers like habanada, Melrose, Fushimi, California Wonder, gypsy, Carmen, and white bell peppers.
Like the Trinidad part of the name suggests, you would expect these peppers to be as superhot as their Caribbean relatives, but they are on the low-heat end of the Scoville Scale.
For reference, Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers, orange habaneros, apocalypse scorpion, and scotch bonnet peppers have apex heat values of 2,009,000, 350,000, 1,400,000, and 350,000 SHUs, respectively.
How Do You Use Trinidad Perfume Pepper?
You can capitalize on the fruity aroma, low heat, and fruity flavor of Trinidad perfume peppers in the following ways:
- As an alternative to bell peppers in dips, soups, and salads.
- To make popular mango habanero hot sauce less spicy.
- In tropical salsas and salads, when raw or fresh. They work well in pico de gallo salsa and tuna salad.
- As a fresh seasoning pepper cooked into soups, stews, meats, and vegetables.
- Making Trinidad perfume pepper jelly.
- In peach jam.
- Pickling the peppers for a sweet, tart flavor.
- Add the peppers to hot sauces to render their sweet, fruity flavor.
- Roasting or grilling.
- Dry and grind for mild seasoning chili powder.
Where To Buy Trinidad Perfume Chilis
It’s hard to find fresh Trinidad perfume peppers outside the Caribbean. You might find some from local growers at your seasonal farmers’ market. Or, buy pepper seeds online to grow your own crop.
Can You Grow Trinidad Perfume Chili Peppers?
You can grow your own Trinidad perfume peppers in the same way you grow varieties like habaneros, scotch bonnets, and scorpion peppers.
Trinidad perfume pepper seeds are available online from seed catalogs and retailers like Amazon. Like other hot pepper seeds, establish them indoors 8-10 weeks before your area’s last spring frost. Germination happens in 14-28 days.
You can transfer the young pepper plants outdoors in a garden or large containers. The transplanting location should have exposure to full sun and a sun shelter for overly hot afternoons.
When planted in well-draining soil, the open-pollinated Trinidad perfume peppers prolifically produce pendant-shaped peppers that mature and ripen in 80-90 days.
Substitutes For Trinidad Perfume Chili Peppers
Bell peppers and banana peppers make excellent substitutes for Trinidad perfume peppers. The former has zero heat, while the latter may have none or as low as 500 Scoville units.
You can also replace the Trinidad perfume with zero-heat peppers like gypsy, Carmen, California Wonder, habanada, and Melrose peppers.
If you want a go at the fruity flavor with a mighty spicy kick, you can try orange habaneros and scotch bonnet peppers, which score 100,000-350,000 SHUs.