Aji Crujiente Chilli

Capsicum baccatum 'Aji Crujiente' The crunchy Peruvian aji — thick, sweet, fruity pods with a wonderful aroma

A characterful and rather special South American aji whose name tells you exactly what makes it a joy to eat: crujiente is Spanish for "crunchy," and crunch is precisely what this chilli delivers. The pods are thick-walled, plump, and almost bell-like — juicy and satisfyingly crisp, with a lovely sweet, fruity flavour and a genuinely wonderful aroma. It's the sort of chilli that converts people who think they don't like chillies, because the pleasure here is in the taste and texture rather than the burn.

It belongs to Capsicum baccatum, the species behind South America's most treasured cooking chillies — the ajis that have anchored Peruvian and Bolivian kitchens since long before the Incas, and which are widely regarded as the best-tasting of all the chilli species. Aji Crujiente is a perfect example of why: it leads with flavour, sweetness, and crunch, carried on a friendly, manageable heat that lifts a dish rather than dominating it. This is a chilli you grow to cook and eat with pleasure.

The plant is just as rewarding as the pods. Aji Crujiente is an easy, vigorous grower that stays a sensible, medium size — no need for the staking and space the towering ajis demand — and it produces astonishing yields, fairly dripping with crunchy pods over a long season. It shrugs off the fuss that the temperamental superhots require, which makes it a genuinely good choice for a less experienced chilli grower as well as a seasoned one. Look closely at the flowers and you'll spot the species' charming signature: small greenish or cream-coloured markings on the petals, the quiet botanical badge of a true aji.

A note on growing

Sow indoors from January to March. Like most chillies it germinates best with steady warmth — a heated propagator at a constant 25–28°C is ideal — and the baccatum types can be a touch slower than the easy annuums, so allow up to three or four weeks and don't give up on a tray too soon. Sow on the surface or barely covered, and keep the compost moist but not wet.

Prick out into 9cm pots once the seedlings have two true leaves, and grow on in good light at a minimum of 18–20°C to keep them sturdy. Pot on progressively to a generous final pot. Being a medium-sized, well-behaved plant, Aji Crujiente is happy in a large container and doesn't generally need staking, though a cane is never a bad idea once it's heavy with fruit. It grows best under cover in the UK — a greenhouse or polytunnel gives the long, warm season the baccatum ajis need to ripen a full crop. It can be grown indoors on a bright windowsill, though you may see a lower yield from flower drop, and it can go outside in a warm, sheltered, sunny spot once it has been hardened off and all danger of frost has passed.

A couple of grower's tips that this variety appreciates: don't overwater and don't overfeed. Chillies love sunshine and air at the roots more than they love a soggy, over-rich compost — keep it on the lean side and let it dry a little between waterings. Feed weekly with a high-potash tomato food only once the first flowers have set. Harvest from late summer into autumn, picking the pods once they have ripened to full colour — though, given the variety's whole appeal, they're especially good picked and eaten fresh while at their crispest. Regular picking keeps the plant producing right up to the first frosts.

Where it shines

The crunch and the sweetness are the whole point, so Aji Crujiente is at its very best used fresh, where that crisp, juicy, bell-like texture really tells. Slice it raw into salads, dice it through salsas and ceviche-style dishes, scatter it over tacos and grain bowls, or quick-pickle it to keep the snap while adding a tangy bite. Its sweet, fruity, gently warm flavour also makes it a lovely all-round cooking chilli in the Peruvian tradition — blended into fresh sauces and pastes, stirred through stews, or added to a stir-fry. Like all the ajis it dries and grinds into a fragrant powder too, but it's the fresh crunch that makes this one really worth growing.

In the garden, it's a tidy, generous, good-looking plant — compact enough for a pot on the patio, productive enough to keep a keen cook well supplied through the season.

At a glance

• Heat: mild to medium — a friendly warmth, all about flavour rather than fire
• Flavour: sweet, fruity and aromatic, with a signature thick, crisp, juicy crunch
• Plant: easy, vigorous and medium-sized — very high-yielding, no staking needed
• Pods: thick-walled, plump, almost bell-like, crunchy and juicy
• Best eaten: fresh, to make the most of the crunch
• Sow: January to March, heated propagator at 25–28°C
• Grow: greenhouse or polytunnel best; easy and forgiving
• Heritage: a South American aji, of the best-tasting chilli species

Plant alongside

Chillies do well with companions that draw in pollinators and help keep pests down. Plant alongside French Marigold 'Spanish Brocade' to deter aphids and whitefly, and Calendula 'Neon' to attract beneficial predators. Basil is a classic greenhouse companion that enjoys the same warmth and sun, and makes a natural culinary partner too.