Purple Peppers

Purple peppers, as their name might suggest are the vibrantly coloured and spicy peppers that grow in the tropical rainforests of The Iji Islands. They can be grown all over the island, but the largest ones can be found in the south of the wild islands where it's hotter and more humid.   These peppers can be eaten raw, cooked or can be dried out and ground into a vibrant purple spice which has become very popular in the dockside markets.   Purple peppers are not quite as hot as the common red chilli pepper, and their taste of heat can be felt more broadly across the palette rather than in the throat or on the tip of the tongue, which gives a zingy, tingly warming sensation that many folks find pleasant and exciting!   Unlike other peppers, purple peppers of The Iji Islands seem to keep their potency no matter what their size is. Once dried, the fireyness increases only a little bit.   These bright purple peppers start as tiny yellow growths that turn into small red peppers (people often mistake them for normal chili peppers at this stage), but if you leave them to ripen fully, they turn a deep violet purple. Combined with other vegetables, they make a colourful plate!