Bullet

Species: Capsicum annuum | Origin: China | Pungency: Medium

Bullet is a prolific, early variety that produces very good yields of chunky, upright growing, conical-shaped, juicy chillies which grow to a maximum length of approximately 3-inches and are tapered to a blunt tip. They are fairly quick to mature and ripen from green to red. The medium-tall plants have a manageable compact bushy growth habit and the chillies have an excellent flavour and are of medium heat. They work very well in stir fries, salads, soups, stews and casseroles, and they are also great on pizza and make an excellent addition to any curry or pot of chili con carne. Bullet is a good all-rounder chilli and is one of the tastiest Capsicum annuum varieties I've grown to date! If you want to try your hand at growing chillies but you don't want varieties that are too spicy then Bullet would be an excellent choice.

Bullet chillies were once very popular amongst UK chilli-heads back in the days of internet forums before the arrival of Facebook and other social media platforms. They were commonly seen for sale in Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian grocery stores, all of which were regular haunts of UK chilli-heads whilst out on the prowl in search of new spicy delights. They were always sold at the green stage, so obtaining viable seed was very difficult. Many people tried growing plants from seed that they'd saved from unripe fruit. Some went even further and rummaged through the chillies for sale and picked out the ones which appeared to be the most mature and closest to ripeness. They then placed the fruit aside for a couple of weeks for it to finish ripening before saving the seeds. However, the results were very hit-and-miss. The ones seen for sale at Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian grocery stores were usually smaller than the ones shown in the photos below, and I think this was due to the fruit being harvested at a much earlier stage, which may also explain why people had such a hard time obtaining viable seed.

Page published on: 19th August 2026