Sometimes called bird pepper, chiltecpin or chiltepin, the little chile piquin is much favored in Mexico for salsa picante. Chile piquins are said to have a unique and recognizable flavor. This little baby is extremely hot, but pepper people say the sensation dissappears quickly. Chile piquins grow wild in parts of Mexico, Guatemala and southern Arizona and Texas, where birds eat them and spread the seeds. People gather the wilds ones, too, and they also grow them in their gardens. Unlike like most of the modern pepper types, chile piquins fall off the plant when ripe. At New Mexico State University they have developed a machine harvestable piquin called 'NuMex Bailey Piquin'.
