''Capsicum baccatum'' is a member of the genus ''
Capsicum'', and is one of the five domesticated chili pepper species. The fruit tends to be very pungent, and registers 30,000 to 50,000 on the
Scoville Heat Unit
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 ...
scale.
Chili pepper varieties in the ''C. baccatum'' species have white or cream colored flowers, and typically have a green or gold corolla. The flowers are either insect or self-pollinated. The fruit pods of the baccatum species have been cultivated into a wide variety of shapes and sizes, unlike other capsicum species, which tend to have a characteristic shape. The pods typically hang down, unlike a ''
Capsicum frutescens'' plant, and can have a citrus or fruity flavor.
The ''C. baccatum'' species, particularly the Ají amarillo chili, has its origins in ancient Peru and across the Andean region of South America. It is typically associated with
Peruvian cuisine, and is considered part of its condiment trinity together with red onion and coriander. Ají amarillo literally means yellow chili; however, the yellow color appears when cooked, as the mature pods are bright orange.
Yellow ají is one of the ingredients of
Peruvian cuisine and
Bolivian cuisine. It is used as a condiment, especially in many dishes and sauces. In Peru the chilis are mostly used fresh, and in Bolivia dried and ground. Common dishes with ají "amarillo" are the Peruvian stew ''
Ají de gallina'' ("Hen Chili"), ''
Papa a la Huancaína'' and the Bolivian ''Fricasé Paceño'', among others. In
Ecuadorian cuisine, Ají amarillo, onion, and lemon juice (amongst others) are served in a separate bowl with many meals as an optional additive. In
Colombian cuisine,
Peruvian Cuisine, and
Ecuadorian cuisine,
ají (sauce) is also a common condiment.
Cultivated baccatum (''C. baccatum'' var. ''pendulum'') is the domesticated pepper of choice of
Bolivia
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,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Ecuador,
Peru and
Chile. The
Moche culture often represented fruits and vegetables in their art, including Ají amarillo peppers. South American farmers also grow ''C. baccatum'' as ornamental plants for export.
Etymology
Some form of the word ''ají'' has been used since approximately 4600
BCE. It was first used in the protolanguage
Otomanguean. It then spread along with the Capsicum fruit from Central and South America to other pepper growing regions. ''Capsicum baccatum'' is still referred to as ají, while other peppers are referred to as pepper via the Spanish conquistadors noting of the similarity in heat sensation to ''
Piper sp''.
Its Latin binomial is made up of ''Capsicum'' from the Greek ''kapos'', and ''baccatum'' meaning berry-like.
Cultivars
This species of
chili pepper includes the following
cultivars:
*Ají amarillo, also called amarillo chili and ají escabeche
*
Bishop's crown
*
Lemon drop, ají limón or ají limo
*
Piquanté Pepper
See also
*
List of Capsicum cultivars
References
External links
Eshbaugh, W. Hardy. Peppers: History and Exploitation of a Serendipitous New Crop Discovery (1993)*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capsicum Baccatum
baccatum
Flora of Peru
Peruvian cuisine
Bolivian cuisine
Chili peppers