Aji Crujiente Chilli
The crunchy Peruvian aji - thick, sweet, fruity pods with a wonderful aroma
A special South American aji whose name means "crunchy" - thick, plump, bell-like pods that are sweet, fruity and wonderfully aromatic, on an easy, hugely productive medium-sized plant. All about flavour, not fire
About this variety
Crujiente is Spanish for crunchy, and that is the whole point of this one. The pods are thick-walled and plump, closer to a small bell pepper than a chilli in texture, juicy and crisp, with a sweet fruity flavour and a strong aroma the moment you cut one. The heat is mild enough to eat it by the slice.
It is a baccatum, one of the South American ajis, and it behaves like the best of them: easy, vigorous and absurdly productive over a long season. Unlike Aji Colorado and the other tall ajis it stays a sensible medium size, so it needs no staking and will sit happily in a pot. The flowers carry the small cream or greenish petal markings that mark out a true aji.
The crunch is what you are growing it for, so use it fresh. Sliced raw into a salad, diced through a salsa, or quick-pickled to keep the snap. It will dry and grind into a fragrant powder like any aji, but drying throws away the one thing that makes it worth the space, and the aroma goes with it.
Plant alongside
Aji Crujiente Chilli pairs beautifully with these kitchen garden companions
