Aji Delight Chilli

Capsicum baccatum 'Aji Delight' The aji with all the flavour and none of the heat — a baccatum sweet pepper

A genuine rarity, and a real delight by name and nature. Aji Delight is a Capsicum baccatum — one of the famous South American "aji" chillies — that carries the full, fruity, characterful flavour of the species but, remarkably, no heat at all. A no-heat mutation is very uncommon in baccatum, which makes this something special: in effect, the aji equivalent of a sweet pepper, with all the personality of a chilli and none of the burn. It looks every inch the hot pepper — glossy, tapered, ripening to a deep red — and then surprises everyone at the table by being gentle as a tomato.

The flavour is the whole point, and it's lovely: sweet, fruity, and aromatic, with the distinctive fresh brightness of the baccatum ajis and, many growers find, a delicate hint of apple. The pods are a good size — bullet-shaped and around 7–8cm long — with firm, fairly thick walls and a satisfying crunch, ripening from light green to a rich, glossy dark red. Because there's no heat to manage, you can use them with abandon: sliced raw into a salad by the handful, layered into an omelette, tossed through a stir-fry, or used as a more interesting, fruitier stand-in for ordinary bell peppers in almost any dish.

It's a joy to grow, too. Aji Delight is a vigorous, easy, spreading plant that produces an enormous crop — one of those varieties that simply keeps cropping, all season long, the more you pick. It ripens relatively early for a baccatum, and asks no special skill, which makes it a brilliant choice for a first-time chilli grower, for a family with children who can eat these straight off the plant, or for anyone who loves the idea of growing peppers but doesn't want the heat. Look closely at the flowers and you'll spot the species' signature: the small greenish or cream markings on the petals that mark out a true aji.

A note on growing

Sow indoors from late winter, January to March, eight to ten weeks before your last expected frost. Like most chillies it germinates best with warmth — a heated propagator at around 21–28°C is ideal — and the baccatum types can be a touch slower than the easy annuums, so allow a few 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 — this is a spreading, productive plant that appreciates the room and may want a cane or two for support once it's laden with fruit. Aji Delight grows best under cover in the UK: a greenhouse, polytunnel, or conservatory gives the long, warm season the baccatum ajis enjoy, though a warm, sheltered, sunny spot outdoors can work in a good summer once all danger of frost has passed.

Water freely while it's in active growth, and feed every week to ten days with a balanced or high-potash liquid feed once the first fruits begin to set, easing off as they start to colour. Harvest from late summer into autumn: the pods are usable green for a fresher, milder note, but are at their sweetest and best left to ripen fully to deep red. Pick regularly — the more you take, the more the plant produces, right up to the first frosts. The firm flesh holds its shape beautifully when cooked, and if you find yourself with a glut, the ripe pods dry and grind into a wonderfully aromatic, entirely mild sweet paprika.

Where it shines

This is the chilli for people who don't like chilli heat — and a secret weapon for those who do. Because it's all flavour and no fire, Aji Delight is endlessly versatile in the kitchen: use it fresh and raw in salads and salsas where its sweet fruity crunch really shines, slice it into omelettes and frittatas, stir it through stir-fries, or stuff and roast the larger pods. It makes an excellent, more characterful replacement for bell peppers anywhere you'd normally use them, and the firm flesh chargrills well, the skin slipping away to leave sweet, smoky flesh behind. Dried and ground, it becomes a fragrant mild paprika that's lovely to have in the spice rack.

In the garden, it's a generous, good-natured, heavy-cropping plant — handsome when hung with glossy red pods, and reliably productive enough to keep a household in sweet peppers right through the season.

At a glance

• Heat: none — a genuinely heat-free aji, the baccatum answer to a sweet pepper
• Flavour: sweet, fruity and aromatic, with a hint of apple and the classic aji brightness
• Plant: vigorous, spreading, easy and enormously productive
• Pods: good-size, bullet-shaped, thick-walled and crunchy, ripening light green to dark red
• Sow: January to March, propagator at 21–28°C
• Harvest: late summer to autumn — relatively early for a baccatum
• Family-friendly: no heat, so children can eat them straight off the plant
• Heritage: a rare no-heat 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.