Ají dulce (from South
American Spanish ají, "chile" + Spanish
dulce, "sweet") is any of a variety of sweet
perennial peppers found in Latin America and
the Caribbean. It is most widely known in
Venezuela where it refers to a specific
native variety of Capsicum chinense related
to the habanero, but with a much milder,
smoky flavour.
In Venezuela, the “ají dulce” is a key
ingredient in the preparation of the
paramount dish of the Venezuelan cuisine,
the Hallaca; and one of the cornerstones of
the national cuisine.
In Puerto Rico, the “ají dulce” (“ajíce” for
short) is grown commercially and is an
important ingredient for sauces, such as
recaíto, sofrito or “mojito isleńo” (a fish
or meat sauce).
In Brazil, 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. |
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