Ají dulce
Encyclopedia
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It is most widely known in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
where it refers to a specific native variety of Capsicum chinense
Capsicum chinense
Capsicum chinense , commonly known as "Yellow Lantern Chili", is a species of Chilli Pepper native to The Americas. C. chinense chillies are well-known for their exceptional heat.-Taxonomy:...
related to the habanero, but with a much milder, smoky flavour.
In Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, the “ají dulce” is a key ingredient in the preparation of the paramount dish of the Venezuelan cuisine, the Hallaca
Hallaca
In Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca typically involves a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize , bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards. It is typically served during the Christmas holiday...
; and one of the cornerstones of the national cuisine.
In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the “ají dulce” (“ajíce” for short) is grown commercially and is an important ingredient for sauces, such as recaíto
Recaíto
-Preparation:Recaíto is mix of onions, garlic, ajicitos, green cubanelle pepper and lots of cilantro and culantro. All of the ingredients are put in to a blender and blended until smooth...
, sofrito
Sofrito
Sofrito is a combination of aromatic ingredients which have been cut in very small pieces, and slowly sauteed or braised in cooking oil for 15-30 minutes....
or “mojito isleño
Mojito isleño
Mojito isleño is a Puerto Rican hot sauce.-Preparation:The sauces is usually made with wine vinegar, olive oil, olives, capers, tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, garlic, and other herbs and spices...
” (a fish or meat sauce).
In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, this pepper is called Rubra or Biquinho (Because the rounded-form cultivar; observe the first photo), and is used to make a sweet jam.
The history of this pepper is obscure, but since wild peppers are naturally hot this variety was probably developed over the years among farmers by simple selection of seed from milder and milder fruits. The fruit of aji dulce can be used green or ripe, and it can be seeded and frozen for use over the winter, a technique that also preserves its rich flavor much better than drying. It is a small, light green pepper that turns red (or yellow) if left long enough on the plant. It has the shape and size of a habanero pepper without the intense heat. Occasionally, there can be some ají dulce fruit that is pungent, probably due to out-crossing with other hot pepper plants. In the tropics, this plant can grow as a perennial, although most of the commercial production is with annual systems.
