Aji Benito

Description

Aji Benito (C. baccatum) is a Bolivian aji grown for texture as much as for flavour. The pods are around 6 cm long and 2 cm wide, ending in a small nipple at the tip, and they ripen from green straight to red. What sets them apart is the flesh: thick, crisp and juicy, with a proper crunch that is unusual in a baccatum of this shape and is the first thing every grower mentions.

The flavour is sweet and fruity in the clean baccatum way, and the pods are good enough to eat straight off the plant. Reports on the heat vary widely — UK growers who raise their own stock put it near 37,000 SHU, while some North American seed sources rate the same name at a fraction of that. Expect a genuine medium with the possibility of more, and taste before you commit a whole batch to a sauce.

The plant is worth planning for: it grows wider than it is tall, roughly half a metre high and up to a metre across, and it will fall over under a full crop without support. Give it a 7.5–10 litre pot and a stake and it rewards you with a heavy, sprawling set of fruit. Around 80–90 days from transplant to the first ripe pods.

Best fresh and raw where the crunch counts, in salsas and chopped salads, and it dries well.

Some chilies are worth tasting before you grow them. → Explore the Vault

Each pack contains approximately 8–10 or more seeds per variety.
Seeds are packaged in a certified EU seed packaging facility in accordance with applicable regulations.

Categories: Chili Seeds , C. baccatum , Medium , Bonsai , Easy to grow