Bishop's Crown

Bishop's Crown is one of the most visually distinctive chilli varieties grown anywhere - a baccatum cultivar producing pods shaped exactly like a bishop's mitre, a friar's hat, or a Christmas bell, depending on the regional naming tradition. The three or four flared lobes around a central pod create an unmistakable shape that has earned the variety its various religious-and-festive names worldwide. Heat is moderate (5,000-30,000 SHU), with a sweet apple-like flavour that often surprises growers expecting more aggressive baccatum character.

History & lineage

Bishop's Crown is a Caribbean-origin baccatum cultivar most associated with Barbados, where it has been cultivated for centuries as a household chilli with distinctive ornamental and culinary appeal. The variety has spread widely through Caribbean cultivation and into the broader Western horticultural world, where it has become a particular favourite among home gardeners who value the unusual pod shape. The variety has accumulated an extraordinary number of regional names that reflect the same religious-and-festive shape across multiple cultures. "Bishop's Crown" and "Bishop's Mitre" reference the headdress of a Christian bishop. "Christmas Bell" describes the bell-like outline. "Friar's Hat" refers to the broader shape's resemblance to a Franciscan friar's headwear. "Joker's Hat" picks up on a similarity to the three-pointed jester's cap. "Orchid Pepper" draws on the flower-like flared appearance. The pod shape is unmistakable enough to evoke clear visual associations across multiple cultures. The distinctive shape creates an unusual culinary opportunity. Most of the pod's capsaicin concentrates in the central core where the lobes meet, while the flared lobes themselves are notably milder. This allows cooks to use the lobes as sweet pepper while extracting the central core separately for heat - a structural quirk almost unique among cultivated chillies. Bishop's Crown has become particularly popular in UK ornamental and edible-garden combinations, where the unusual pod shape provides genuine visual interest alongside reasonable culinary utility. The plants are reliably productive in greenhouse conditions and tolerate cooler outdoor summers better than many baccatums, making the variety one of the more accessible "exotic" chillies for British home growers.

Culinary uses

The unusual shape makes Bishop's Crown a striking ornamental chilli first, culinary chilli second. The mild lobes can be eaten as sweet pepper, while the central core packs most of the heat - a structural quirk that allows the same pod to serve as both mild and hot ingredient depending on which part is used. Pickled whole, the shape makes Bishop's Crown a visually distinctive antipasto. Fresh use in salsas and salads; less commonly dried.