Aji Chicotillo

Description

Aji Chicotillo (C. baccatum) comes from Padilla in the Chuquisaca department of Bolivia, the region that grows the great majority of the country’s aji. It is one of eight recognised Padilla varieties, a group traditional enough that Bolivia granted the area’s aji a protected designation of origin in 2014. The name is a good clue to the pod: chicotillo means a little whip.

And the pods are the reason to grow it. At around 20 cm they are among the largest pods any baccatum produces, ripening from green to an intense red. The walls are quite thin but still somewhat juicy, and the flavour is fruity and sweet with a light sourness behind it that growers often compare to green apple — the sweet-and-hot balance the Chuquisaca ajis are known for. The heat is a comfortable medium, enough to notice and not enough to get in the way.

Thin walls on a 20 cm pod make this a natural for drying, which is exactly what it is used for in Bolivia — dried and ground, it gives colour and body to sauces and stews as much as it gives heat, and it mills into excellent flakes and powder. Fresh, the pods slice into long crisp strips for salads and salsas, and they roast well. The size also makes them worth stuffing — few chilies give you this much room to fill — just handle them a little more gently than a thick-walled stuffing pepper.

Plan for a substantial plant. It reaches 100–120 cm and spreads, and a full crop of 20 cm pods will bend the branches, so give it a large pot — 20 litres or more — and something to tie it to. Easy enough to grow, but not a windowsill chili.

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: Fatalii’s Favorites , Chili Seeds , C. baccatum , Medium , Easy to grow