15 seeds
Sowing: from February to June
Planting space: 80 between plants 1 meter between rows
Harvest: approximately 90 days after transplanting
Valle de Canca Chili Pepper (Capsicum baccatum)
Valle de Canca chili pepper (Capsicum baccatum): Peruvian cuisine is enjoying ever-increasing success, driven by world-class chefs like Virgilio Martinez of Central restaurant in Lima and chef Mitsuharu Tsumura, a Peruvian of Japanese origin who, by blending the two cultures (it's mind-blowing!), creates incredible dishes, earning a place even in Europe's most challenging bastions: Italy and France. Virgilio was recently a guest at Orma restaurant in Rome: a four-handed dinner with Colombian chef Roy Caceres, a stratospheric dinner that marked a milestone in the capital's new culinary scene. Sorry, I got lost in my passion for a moment...we were saying, the Valle de Canca chili pepper is an extremely productive plant; the plant grows to a meter tall and, when prolific, will give you countless elongated red berries, 6-8 cm in size. The flavor is sweet and sour, distinctive, and tart; the spiciness is noticeable but not overwhelming (about 50,000 Scoville Units). Versatile in the kitchen, it can be eaten fresh or powdered. But the first option is undoubtedly the one that best allows us to appreciate its organoleptic characteristics (which is not a given: many Mexican chili peppers improve significantly when dried).
As mentioned, the plant is large; to be planted it in full sun and well-fertilized soil to maximize the potential of this variety.