The chiles › Ají amarillo
C. baccatum
Ají amarillo
mediumFresh
30,000-50,000 SHU
Origin
Peru; a pillar of its cuisine.
Uses
Essential in cebiche, ají de gallina, papa a la huancaína and causa limeña; it also lends colour and depth to lomo saltado and tallarines verdes. As a paste it is the base of half the Peruvian repertoire.
About this chile
Despite being called "amarillo" (yellow), it ripens to a deep orange. It is one of the three pillars of Peruvian cooking, alongside ají panca and rocoto, and is very often sold as a paste. It belongs to the baccatum species, almost exclusive to South America, whose name means "berry-like". Its fruity profile, with a hint of mango, makes it unmistakable in a good cebiche.