Aji Colorado Chili Pepper (Capsicum baccatum)

Aji Colorado chili pepper (Capsicum chinense): we close our series on Peru with this staple of traditional cuisine. Often confused with Aji Panca (because they are colloquially called the same thing), it has a completely different taste profile. The berry, about 10-12 cm long, has smooth skin and a pomegranate red color, ending in a slightly pronounced, sometimes truncated, tip. The flesh is medium-thick and easy to dry. It is hot, spicy level about 20,000 SHU or slightly more. Now we come to the most interesting part: the taste. Aji Colorado has a strong peppery aroma with intense fruity notes, typical of Andean varieties. Once dried, it develops sweet and spicy notes, unlike Aji Panca, which tends towardS smoky and savory flavors. Its culinary use is primarily for rehydrating and making sauces.
In the field the plant is very rustic, up to one metre tall, with the typical umbrella shape of the baccatum, very productive.
A chili pepper that can't be missing from the kitchen of every chef and cooking enthusiast.