Meaning & use
peri peri
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A very spicy sauce or seasoning made from small red chilies, often used on chicken and other grilled foods.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the sauce itself: 'I like peri peri on my chicken.' It can be countable when referring to a type or brand: 'They sell three different peri peris.'
Patterns
- peri peri sauce
- peri peri chicken
- add peri peri to something
This restaurant is famous for its peri peri chicken.
I bought a bottle of peri peri to take home.
The peri peri sauce is too hot for me, but my brother loves it.
adjectivebefore a noun
Flavored or seasoned with peri peri sauce.
Grammar: Used before a noun: 'peri peri chips', not 'the chips are peri peri' in most contexts.
Patterns
- peri peri chicken
- peri peri prawns
- peri peri fries
We ordered peri peri wings and a side salad.
She made peri peri prawns for dinner last night.
Common combinations
- peri peri chicken
- Their peri peri chicken is grilled over an open flame.
- peri peri sauce
- You can buy peri peri sauce in most supermarkets now.
- extra hot peri peri
- He asked for extra hot peri peri on his burger.
- a bottle of peri peri
- We always keep a bottle of peri peri in the fridge.
Synonyms and how they differ
- piri piri
- An alternative spelling of the same word, common in British English and in African Portuguese contexts.
- chili sauce
- A broader term for any spicy sauce made with chilies; peri peri is a specific type.
Commonly confused: peri peri or piri piri?
peri peri vs piri piri
The same thing, just a different spelling. 'Peri peri' is more common in UK restaurant names.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'peri peri' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Peri peri' is used before a noun to describe food seasoned with the sauce, as in 'peri peri chicken'. The other options use it as a verb, an adverb, or a countable object, which is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peri peri”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.