Lemon Drop – ají limón in Peru – is a hot Capsicum baccatum from Peru, related to ají amarillo. Reliable information is scarce; here is what can be documented.
| Species | Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum |
|---|---|
| Heat | 7 on a 1–9 scale (USDA GRIN); we found no reliable SHU figure |
| Origin | Peru; in the USDA collection since 1966 (PI 315024) |
| Fruit | conic to elongate, pendent, about 5.6 × 1.7 cm, 4.6 g |
What we know
The USDA GRIN genebank lists Lemon Drop as PI 315024, Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum, collected in Peru and donated on 10 June 1966 by P. G. Smith of the University of California. According to the record its pods are pendent, conic to elongate, about 5.6 cm long and 1.7 cm wide, weighing 4.6 g; pungency is scored 7 on a 1–9 scale, with 495.79 µg of capsaicinoids per gram of fresh weight.
What we don’t know
The GRIN record gives the ripe colour as orange, while commercial Lemon Drop is usually lemon-yellow. The often-quoted 15,000–30,000 SHU has no verifiable source, nor does the claim that Peruvian “ají limo” is a different C. chinense pepper. We will update this article if we find better evidence.
Related
Ají amarillo · Rocoto · Fatalii · Scoville scale
Sources
- USDA ARS GRIN: PI 315024 ‘LEMON DROP’