Chilean Aji

Very spicy serrano type pepper (C. annuum) that mattures from green to red, is between 4-5.5 inches long, 0.5-1 inches wide and weighs between 0.5-1 ounce. Fruits are long and tapered to a point, have thin walls, tan seeds and a thick skin that is semi-wrinkled. Flavor is spicy and fairly juicy. Plants are between 30.5-35 inches high, erect and moderately branching. Fruits mature mid-season. Pamela & Herbert Raditsch (CA RA P) of Aptos, California received this variety sometime before 1993 in Los Angeles, Chile with the help of a good friend named Marta Brower. They would visit Marta every few years and were familiar with the pepper. On one trip, Marta helped them request seeds from a local elderly gardener. Pamela later shared seeds with SSE in 2002 and said the fruit can be used fresh, cooked, or canned. She also noted: "They are also dried and smoked and ground finely, in which case this is called Merquen (a very traditional Chilean condiment served with meat). We then mix that ground chile with olive oil and salt and serve in a small bowl." SSE Accession # 118002