Check out our A-Z for some quirky Peri-Peri facts and some handy hints for using Peri-Peri to spice up your life.

A - Aubergine - Slice and grill an aubergine and drizzle with Peri-Peri butter (mix 125g of butter, 40g of Peri-Peri Sauce and 5g of chopped parsley) - delicious!

Africa - It was in the rich soils and intense heat of Africa that the Portuguese explorers discovered the African Bird's Eye chili.

B - Birds! Rumor has it that the spread of chilies was via birds, which ate the pods whole and replanted them elsewhere complete with fertilizer!

Bacon - Revolutionize bacon sandwiches by adding a dash of Peri-Peri Sauce instead of ketchup.

C - Cheese on Toast - A splash of Peri-Peri Sauce adds spice to a favorite teatime treat.

D - Dairy Products - The best way to cool down a fiery "chili" mouth is with milk or yogurt, not beer as many people think - alcohol increases your ability to absorb capsaicin (the hot part of the chili) which makes the food seem even hotter!

E - Endorphins - Eating Peri-Peri triggers the release of endorphins, which lift the spirits and libido and do wonders for your love life.

F - Flour- If you have handled chilies and have capsaicin on your hands, rub your fingers in flour, to absorb the capsaicin, before you rinse them under running water.

G - Gherkins - Add Peri-Peri Sauce when pickling gherkins. If you don't pickle them yourself, just add the sauce straight to your favorite burger.

H - Habanero peppers used to be the hottest in the world. The Habanero has not been the hottest chilli in the world for some time, superseded by the Naga Jolokia with cultivars such as the Dorset Naga reaching up to 1,000,000 SHUs.

I - I wouldn't eat beans on toast without it.

J - Jalapeno - With a Scoville level of only 3,000, this common chili doesn't come close to the fieriness of the Peri-Peri chili.

K - Kebabs - Add a dash of Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce to your late night kebab to prove you can take the heat!

L - Libido - Peri-Peri perks up everything!

M - Mashed potato - Add Peri-Peri Sauce to fluffy mashed potato to spice up a plate of bangers and mash.

N - Nuts - Mix a selection of your favorite nuts with olive oil, Peri-Peri sauce and a pinch of sugar and salt. Spread them onto a baking sheet and bake them for ten minutes or until they are golden brown.

O - Olives - Marinade a mixture of your favorite olives in Peri-Peri Sauce for a nibble with a difference!

P - Periometer - Our Nando's barometer to indicate levels of heat in all our products. Found on the side of every jar, it will let you know whether you're in for a tongue tingle or a full blown fiery explosion!

Peri-naise - Combine a dollop of mayonnaise with a couple of splashes of Peri-Peri Sauce. Forget ketchup - chip dipping will never be the same again.

Q - Quiche - Add Peri-Peri Sauce to your egg mixture for a quiche with a kick.

R - Restaurants - Nando's is famous world-wide for its Peri-Peri Chicken Chicken restaurants!

Repel colds, aches & pains - Chili has been used as a traditional ancient remedy for various illnesses for hundreds of years.

S - Scoville Heat Units- A system developed by Dr William Scoville in 1912 to measure the amount of heat/ burn in chilies. The system is based on the amount of water needed to dilute the fieriness of the chili - between 12 and 26 liters of water are required to dilute 1g of the Peri-Peri chili!

Swahili - Peri-Peri is the Swahili word for the African Bird's Eye chili.

T - Time - Cooking or freezing chilies increases the amount of capsaicin released, so makes them seem hotter than fresh chilies. The longer a dish is cooked, the hotter it will become until all the capsaicin is released - a real fiery little number!

U - You will love what a dash of Peri-Peri Sauce can do to your stews and casseroles.

V - Vodka - Add a dash of Peri-Peri Sauce to make Nando's version of the Bloody Mary and you will have the Peri Meri - the cocktail to be drinking this year.

W - Weight Watchers - Peri-Peri Sauce is low in calories and is rumored to help speed up the metabolic rate, it is also a tasty addition to a weight watchers diet.

X - X tra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce - The latest fiery offering from Nando's.

Y - Why not take a bottle around to your mother in law's to perk up another stodgy Sunday lunch?

Z - Zest for Life - Vitamins A& C are in abundance in chilies. They contain three times as much Vitamin C as oranges on a gram per gram comparison so it's time to start chili chomping!

If you know of a great way of using Peri-Peri, share it with other Peri-Peri addicts! Email chirp-line@nandosusa.com with your ideas.

 
 

Our story began centuries ago, when Portuguese explorers set out in search of spices. After many adventures and months of sailing the high seas, they accomplished their mission. The famous Spice Route to the East had been discovered!

Southern Africa soon became a stopover for the explorers and, with its glorious climate and beautiful terrain, many of them settled there. It was here that they discovered the Birds-Eye Chili, called Pili-Pili by the local Swahili's. The settlers adopted the name Peri-Peri, and started using this fiery ingredient with a blend of herbs and spices as part of their cuisine.

Peri-Peri recipes have always been a source of family pride and have been passed down from generation to generation. The Nando's Peri-Peri sauces are just such a recipe - a combination of old-world mystery and fiercely guarded family secrets.

 

Chili plants belong to the genus Capsicum of which there are more than two hundred known varieties. This family is characterized by the presence of Capsaicin (the chemical substance that causes the chili to burn) on the veins inside the chili (and not in the seeds as is generally believed). Not all chilies contain the same amount of capsaicin and therefore cause different oral sensations ranging from a mild tingling sensation to an intense burn, when eaten.

In 1912 a pharmacist called Wilbur Scoville devised a scientific method to measure the amount of capsaicin in a chili. He named this method "Scoville Heat Units" - a scale ranging from 10 to 1,000,000 - indicating the amount of water required to neutralize the burn. The higher the rating, the hotter the chili. At Nando's, our rating system is called the "Peri-ometer" - look out for it on all our bottles to see how hot each sauce will be!

Contrary to popular belief chili is not just about burn. Each variety also boasts a unique flavor, such as the mild tropical flavor of the Habanero chili or the heavy, smoky, tobacco flavor of the Ancho chili.

 

Peri-Peri has many curative properties too…

› In Russia, a drink called Nastoyka (made from chilies soaked in Vodka) is used to relieve colds, rheumatism and stomach disorders.

› In India, Peri-Peri is used externally, for the treatment of tonsillitis, diphtheria and snakebites. It's also used in lozenge form to help cure sore throats and hoarseness.

› Indonesians use Peri-Peri to treat acne, stomach ache, loss of appetite and low blood pressure.

› Chili is used in the treatment of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to reduce nausea.

› Look no further than the chili for a healthy Vitamin C dose and to relieve you (albeit temporarily) of blocked sinuses, a congested throat or lungs.

› Studies have also shown that Capsaicin works with protein molecules to decrease cholesterol absorption in the body and to speed up the metabolism.

› But probably the best thing about eating Peri-Peri is that it enhances the release of endorphins (a substance in the brain that causes one to feel pleasure). Now how much more could one ask for?!

Now, armed with all this Peri-Peri knowledge, why not add some Peri-Peri magic to your cooking at home? Nando's Peri-Peri Sauces, Cooking Sauces and Marinades are available online for your local store please visit store search.

 

Peri-Peri in the Kitchen
Peri-Peri is not only the fiery substance that makes our chicken unique. It is also bottled and sold as a fiery sauce in our restaurants and at all major supermarkets and it has many uses in for the culinary adventurer. Peri-Peri will add fire flavor to all your pasta dishes; stir-fries, roasts, casseroles, steaks, barbecues, grills and fry-ups. (That about covers every meal under the sun!)

Peri-Peri Sandwich
Add Peri-Peri to just about any sandwich for that extra bite that will fire up your senses. For example a simple bacon or cheese & tomato sandwich with Peri-Peri will rock your taste buds into submission.

The Peri-Meri
It's a Bloody Mary but with Peri-Peri. A deliciously decedent and sensual cocktail that uses that uses Peri-Peri to make up this spicy drink.

Peri Toasty
Try Welsh rarebit with Peri-Peri liberally splashed on top

Peri Drizzle
Mix soft butter with Peri-Peri and melt over corn-on-the-cob, steak, jacket potato, your partner (oops!)

Peri-Peri Can't-Con-You
A dash of Peri-Peri will add a fantastic taste and heat to your Chili Con Carne!

Peri-Dipi
Add Peri-Peri to crème fraiche, aubergine puree or simply mayonnaise to get a hot dip for pita, crisps and nibbly snacks.