Ají amarillo, the “yellow chilli”, is the star of Peruvian cooking. It belongs to Capsicum baccatum, a species domesticated in Bolivia, and when ripe it is more orange than yellow.
| Species | Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum |
|---|---|
| Heat | moderate; we found no reliable SHU figure (the commonly quoted 30,000–50,000 SHU comes only from trade websites) |
| Origin of the species | Bolivia (Bolivian Amazonia and inter-Andean valleys) |
| Main growing area | Peru (Lima, Tacna) and Bolivia |
| Fruit | elongated, pendent, 10–15 cm, orange-yellow when ripe |
| Other names | ají escabeche, ají verde (green); sun-dried: ají mirasol |
The species Capsicum baccatum
C. baccatum is one of the five domesticated chilli species. According to the botanical monograph of Capsicum (Barboza et al., 2022), it was most likely domesticated in Bolivian Amazonia and the inter-Andean valleys, from the wild C. baccatum var. baccatum. The cultivated var. pendulum grows mainly in Bolivia and Peru at 150–3,400 m. You can recognise the species by its white flowers with greenish-yellow to tan spots.
Heat and flavour
Ají amarillo is moderately hot: Peru’s state news agency Andina calls its heat “moderate”, and botanists describe the capsaicinoid content of var. pendulum as low to mild. A 2011 German study of Andean ajís found them considerably milder than habanero and described their aroma as earthy, vegetable and bell pepper-like, with fruity or exotic notes in some plants.
In Peruvian cooking
Andina calls ají amarillo “one of the star ingredients of Peruvian gastronomy”. It goes into papa a la huancaína, ají de gallina, causa limeña, tiradito, lomo saltado and sarsa criolla. Peru has registered more than 350 varieties of ajíes, rocotos and peppers; according to its agriculture ministry (2024), Lima leads chilli production with 33% and Tacna follows with 23%, mainly ají amarillo. Peru celebrates the Day of Peruvian Ajíes on the first Friday of September.
Related
Rocoto · Habanero · History of chilli · Scoville scale
Sources
- Barboza G. E. et al. (2022): Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae). PhytoKeys 200: 1–423. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.200.71667
- van Zonneveld M. et al. (2015). PLoS ONE 10(9): e0134663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134663
- Kollmannsberger H. et al. (2011): Volatile and capsaicinoid composition of ají (Capsicum baccatum) and rocoto (Capsicum pubescens). J Sci Food Agric 91(9): 1598–1611. doi:10.1002/jsfa.4354
- Andina: Día de los ajíes peruanos (2019); Papa a la huancaína
- MIDAGRI (6 Sep 2024): Perú cuenta con más de 350 variedades de ajíes