They can be red, green, orange or almost the colour of chocolate. They can be pointy, round, small, club like, long, thin, globular, tapered, or bell shaped. Their skin may be shiny, smooth or wrinkled and their walls may be thick or thin.

Not all chillies are hot but do not be deceived - with only a few exceptions, most of the several hundred varieties of these little pods have some degree of pungency for the palate. Be assured that only a few of them are as mild as capsicums.

The colour of chillies is no guide to the intensity of their flavour. Nor is the size.

Chillies belong to the same family as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. They came originally from the West Indies and quickly spread to India and Asia, then to North Africa and Spain.

Usually chillies begin life green, though home grown jalapeno chillies start life very black then turn green, and end up yellow or red as they ripen. There is no rule that the green or red have more heat so check the label for clues as to the pungency of the ones you have chosen.

Chillies contain capsaicins. These are peppery compounds that can damage your eyes. Capaicins are produced by the ripening chillies to ward off insects that attack its' fruit and bush.The hottest part of the chilli is the membrane and the seeds attached to it