MOA Scotch Bonnet
Also known as MoA Scotch Bonnet · M.O.A. Scotch Bonnet · Ministry of Agriculture Scotch Bonnet · MOA Jamaican Scotch Bonnet · Jamaican MOA Scotch Bonnet
MOA Scotch Bonnet is a Capsicum chinense selection from Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica. Capsi’s sourced range is 100,000–350,000 SHU (Official breeder). Flavor is fruity, sweet, tropical. Used for jerk seasoning, escovitch, pepper sauce, soups and stews, rice and peas. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
The MOA Scotch Bonnet is Jamaica's yellow-orange commercial Scotch Bonnet, the cup-and-saucer type used for export fruit and for jerk and pepper sauce on the island.
About 7.1 times a Capsi Jalapeño (31,902 SHU typical).
Growing
~90 days to maturity
Fruit size
2.5–6 cm
Flavor & Use
Sweet tropical fruit with pineapple and apricot up front and a clean chinense finish. The burn comes on quickly and does not linger like a superhot.
Culinary
About
Plants are bushy chinense shrubs, often 90 to 120 cm tall, loaded with squat 3- to 4-lobed pods. Fruit ripens from green to yellow-orange, with thick walls and a large cavity that is easy to deseed. Heat is hot, not superhot. Use whole or chopped in jerk paste, escovitch pickle, and cooked sauces. One ripe pod seasons a pot.
Backstory
Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture has long kept a commercial Scotch Bonnet line at Bodles Research Station in Saint Catherine Parish, selecting for a uniform 3- to 4-lobed cup-and-saucer fruit. Steve Queen of Fort Lauderdale obtained that seed around 2013 and shared it with growers under the MOA name. The label marks the source, not a published hybrid. A larger red type sold as MOA Red is treated by growers as a later off-type.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreMOA Scotch Bonnet is a selection of Scotch Bonnet.
Jamaica Ministry of Agriculture, Bodles Research Station
Peppers bred from MOA Scotch Bonnet
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is MOA Scotch Bonnet?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 100,000–350,000 SHU (Official breeder). 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 MOA Scotch Bonnet taste like?
- Sweet tropical fruit with pineapple and apricot up front and a clean chinense finish. The burn comes on quickly and does not linger like a superhot.
- How do I grow MOA Scotch Bonnet?
- MOA Scotch Bonnet: about 90 days to maturity, tropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for MOA Scotch Bonnet?
- Scotch Bonnet, Orange Habanero, Foodarama Yellow Scotch Bonnet