Whole dried chillies are better at retaining their flavour than crushed and powdered. There are 3 types of whole chilli on this page:
Whole red chillies are a larger variety of chilli. They have a woody, smoky flavour and a medium heat. The tips are less spicy compared to the head of the chilli. Whole red extra hot chillies are much smaller in size. Their flavour and heat strength are more condensed. These chillies are not for the faint hearted as they are very hot. Whole Green Chillies (also known as Butter Chillies) come in varying sizes. They are fairly hot and are lightly salted which lends itself well the the flavour.
Whole chillies are used widely in Indian, Italian, Oriental and South American cuirine. Use whole chillies in curries, stir fries, burritos, chopped into tomato salsa and various toppings (to name a few ideas). Spicy chilli flavour also compliments fruity flavours and even chocolate.