''Ají dulce'', ''ají cachucha, quechucha'', ''ajicito'', or ''ají gustoso'' is any of a variety of sweet

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

peppers Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

found in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. It is most widely known in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

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and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, where it refers to a specific native variety of ''

Capsicum chinense ''Capsicum chinense'', commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. ''C. chinense'' varieties are well known for their unique flavors and many have exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in the ...

'' that is related to the

habanero The habanero (; ) is a hot variety of chili. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yellow, green, or purple. Typically, a ripe hab ...

but with a much milder, smoky flavor. In the English-speaking Caribbean, it is known as seasoning pepper and is essential to a variety of traditional dishes.

Meanings of names

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

''ají'' means 'chili pepper' and ''dulce'' means 'sweet', so the name translates to 'sweet chili pepper'. ''Cachucha'' is a Latin American word for 'cap', so ''ají cachucha'' means 'cap chili pepper' and refers to its cap-like shape. ''Gustoso'' means 'tasty', so ''ají gustoso'' translates to 'tasty chili pepper'. Ajicito is the diminutive of ''ají'' and translates to 'little chili pepper'.

Use in cooking

Venezuelan cuisine Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its EuropeanKohnstamm, Thomas; Kohn, Beth"Venezuela."Lonely Planet. Accessed October 2011. (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French), West African, and indigenous traditions. Venezuelan cuisine varies greatly ...

, ''ají dulce'' is a key ingredient in many traditional dishes, like the national dish ''

pabellón criollo Pabellón criollo () is a traditional Venezuelan dish, the local version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean. It is a plate of rice, shredded beef in stew and stewed black beans. Variants Common additions include '' ...

''. The Venezuelan ''ají dulce'' is classified as non pungent, between 100 and 500 in the

Scoville scale The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component. The scale i ...

. In the

it is known as "aji gustoso". In

, it is known as ''ají''

Cachucha Cachucha is a Spanish solo dance in or time, similar to the bolero. Cachucha is danced to an Andalusian national song with castanet accompaniment. Etymology From Spanish , small boat. Possibly from diminutive of ', shard, saucepan, probabl ...

. In

where it is called ''ají dulce'' or ''ajicito'', it is grown commercially and used for sauces, such as ''

recaíto Recaíto (also sometimes called sofrito) is a cooking base made of pureed aromatics. Its distinctive green color comes from the inclusion of green peppers and herbs. Recaíto does not usually include tomatoes, although they may be added for extra f ...

sofrito (Spanish, ), (Catalan), (Italian, ), or (Portuguese, ) is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. It typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed or ...

'', and '' mojito isleño'', other fish or meat sauces, as well as stews, rice, and other local dishes.

References

* Weaver, William Woys. (2000) ''100 Vegetables and Where They Came From''. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aji dulce Chili peppers Puerto_Rican_cuisine Venezuelan culture Capsicum cultivars

Meanings of names

Use in cooking

See also

References