Byadagi chilli: colour first, heat second

Ask for “chilli powder” in most shops and you get heat. Ask a cook in north Karnataka and you will probably get Byadagi — a long, deeply wrinkled, dark red chilli grown around Byadagi and Haveri, and one of the state’s GI-recognised products.

What makes it useful is the split between colour and heat. Byadagi gives a vivid, deep red with a mild to medium burn, so you can build a dish that looks rich without becoming punishing to eat. That is why it turns up in so much regional cooking, and why it is used commercially as a natural colour.

Whole or ground

Whole pods keep their aroma far longer than powder does. Ground chilli starts losing its top notes almost immediately, which is why grinding in smaller quantities is worth the trouble.

We are launching with both because they do different jobs. Whole pods for tempering, for grinding fresh, for a masala you build yourself. Ground for the weeknight cooking where nobody has time for that.

A note on the GI

Byadagi Chilli holds a Geographical Indication, which recognises the link between the chilli and the place. A GI protects the name — it does not, on its own, certify any particular batch as organic, or residue-free, or well handled. Those are separate questions, and we would rather answer them separately than let one badge stand in for all of them.