Bishop's Hat

Description

One of the most distinctive shapes in the whole genus. Each pod flares into three or four flat wings around a raised central crown, so it looks like a bishop’s mitre, a flying saucer or a small orchid depending on who is describing it — hence the pile of names it carries: bishop’s crown, christmas bell, campana, cambuci, ají flor. Pods run 4–7 cm across, pale green ripening to red.

The heat is worth understanding before you bite. The wings are sweet and mild — apple-like, tangy, genuinely pleasant to eat raw — while the central body around the seeds carries real heat. That split is the variety’s whole charm: trim the wings for a sweet pepper, keep the crown for a hot one. Heat varies a great deal between pods and rises as they redden.

The flesh is thin and crisp rather than fleshy, so treat it gently if you stuff it. Excellent pickled, in escabeche, sliced raw into salads, or dried and ground. Plants grow tall and open, up to about 120 cm, and carry 30–50 pods in a season.

Categories: C. baccatum , Mild , Medium , Easy to grow