Meaning & use
malagueta
Last updated
UK/ˌmæləˈɡeɪtə/
US/ˌmæləˈɡeɪtə/
Meaning
nouncountable
A small, very hot chili pepper used especially in Brazilian and West African cooking.
Grammar: Can be used as a countable noun: a malagueta, two malaguetas.
Patterns
- malagueta pepper
- malagueta chili
The recipe calls for two malaguetas, but you can adjust the heat to your taste.
Malagueta peppers are often used in traditional Brazilian dishes like feijoada.
She grew malaguetas in her garden to make homemade hot sauce.
Word forms
| plural | malaguetas |
|---|
Common combinations
- malagueta pepper
- Malagueta pepper is known for its intense heat.
- malagueta chili
- He added a chopped malagueta chili to the stew.
- hot malagueta
- The sauce is made with hot malaguetas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- piri-piri
- Piri-piri is a similar small hot chili used in African and Portuguese cooking; it is often used interchangeably with malagueta in some regions.
- bird's eye chili
- Bird's eye chili is a general term for small, very hot chilies; malagueta is a specific variety.
Commonly confused: malagueta or malaguena?
malagueta vs malaguena
Malagueña refers to a Spanish dance or a person from Málaga; it is not related to the pepper.
Practice
What is a malagueta?
Choose one answer.
Malagueta is a small, very hot chili pepper. It is not sweet, nor is it a dance or instrument.
Make it your own
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