Australian Chilli Trends
- Trends & Insights
The trend for hot and spicy foods in Australia has grown considerably over the past ten years and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
With the Australian population predicated to grow from approximately 21 million in 2009 to an expected 25.9 million by the end of 2019—coupled with a constant change in demographics—there is an increased demand for the availability of international food cultures here on our shores.
Hot and spicy foods are nothing new in the food industry, but we have seen a boom in cultural food from Mexico, with brands like Guzman Y Gomez and Zambrero dominating the QSR market, through to Thai, Chinese, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese. With this boom, there’s a demand for hotter and spicier flavour profiles within these markets, and surprisingly, children and teenagers are moving the category in a way we would never have seen in past years.
Chilli Heat vS Flavour
Currently, discussions around chillies focus on the heat scale—but there is so much more to explore! The most popular fresh chillies consumed in our Australian market are shown below and are grown here on our Bundaberg farm.
Poblano Chilli
Perfect as an introduction to spice, the Poblano Chilli is the mildest in the pepper family and is sweet and very versatile. They are best known in Mexico and are used widely in Mexican restaurants and chains. Poblano looks like a dark green capsicum and is often roasted or baked. They are also fantastic in a Salsa Verde blended with Tomatillo and Jalapeno.
They measure between 1,000 – 2,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Compare that to the Bell Pepper, which has no heat and measures at 0 SHU or a Jalapeno Pepper which measures around 8,000 SHU, and you will get an idea of the Poblano heat level.
Habanero Chilli
Habanero Chillies are one of the hottest chillies consumed every day in Australia—full of heat and a burst of flavour! These can be found in many sauces in your local grocery store, as well as in major quick-service restaurants that are getting more adventurous with the everyday burger. While this Chilli is hot, it also has a sweet and fruity flavour that lends itself well to blends with fruit such as mango and pineapple.
Habanero Chillies measure up to 200,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
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