Arriba Saia
Also known as Umbigo de Tainha · Umbigo da Tainha · Pimenta Arriba Saia
Arriba Saia is a Capsicum chinense landrace from Northeast, Brazil. Capsi’s sourced range is 100,000–300,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Flavor is fruity, floral, earthy. Used for Used fresh in moqueca and other northeastern seafood dishes, crushed with fish broth, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Also put up in oil or vinegar and added to salsas and marinades.. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
Arriba Saia is a Capsicum chinense kept on Brazil's northeast coast and also sold as Umbigo de Tainha. Ripe pods run peach to orange and go into fresh fish sauces and moqueca.
About 8.6 times a Capsi Jalapeño (31,902 SHU typical).
Growing
~150 days to maturity
Fruit size
2–6 cm
Flavor & Use
Fruity and floral on the nose, then a deep lasting burn. Earthy enough for moqueca and fish sauce.
Culinary
About
Pods hang lantern-shaped and irregular, 2 to 6 cm long, and ripen from green through yellow to peach or orange. The cut fruit smells strongly floral and fruity, then the heat builds and stays. Plants like heat and humidity and often reach a meter to a meter and a half. Kitchen use is fresh in seafood stews, crushed with fish broth, or packed in oil or vinegar.
Backstory
Arriba Saia is Brazilian Portuguese for raise the skirt, a joke about fanning a burning mouth. In Alagoas the same chile is Umbigo de Tainha, named for a mullet's pyloric pouch that shares the pod's pinched navel. It has been kept as a local cooking pepper in Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, and Pernambuco, not as a named modern cross.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreArriba Saia is a traditional landrace.
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Arriba Saia?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 100,000–300,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Arriba Saia taste like?
- Fruity and floral on the nose, then a deep lasting burn. Earthy enough for moqueca and fish sauce.
- How do I grow Arriba Saia?
- Arriba Saia: about 150 days to maturity, tropical climate, full sun.
- What can I substitute for Arriba Saia?
- Orange Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Madame Jeanette