piri piri

Where does the word "piri piri" come from? It comes from Swahili/Bantu pili pili, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1900s).

Piri piri’s story begins in Swahili/Bantu: pili pili meant “a chili pepper.” The word for a small, fiery chili pepper. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as piri piri. Swahili 'pepper pepper'; Portuguese traders in Mozambique took it up. It reached English by 1900s as piri piri. Nando's restaurants, founded in South Africa in 1987, spread it worldwide. Today, piri piri means a hot chili pepper sauce, popular in Portuguese and African-influenced cuisine.

1. Stage 1 · Swahili/Bantu · 1500s pili pili "a chili pepper", the word for a small, fiery chili pepper.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1500s piri piri "a fiery chili pepper, or a sauce made from it", Swahili 'pepper pepper'; Portuguese traders in Mozambique took it up.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s piri piri "a fiery chili pepper sauce", Nando's restaurants, founded in South Africa in 1987, spread it worldwide.