We grow all of our vegetables and since few years we started growing spicy peppers as well. Our most beloved ones at this point are Habanero and some sort of regular looking Mexican chili pepper brought to us by a friend who was there on a business trip.
I personally fell in love with Habanero because of its fruity notes. It’s not a pepper I eat fresh often but we make a nice sweet sauce from it that is used way too much in our household.
As am preparing slowly for the next season, I’d love to hear some suggestions on what I should try next. I’d prefer to try peppers with some characteristic taste. I already have my eyes set on Aji Lemon, Sugar Rush Peach, Golden Nuggets. We prefer medium spicy peppers but I’ve had hotter. I just dislike hot for the sake of hot.
Chilhaucle Negro I think is an interesting, non-typical one. Its uses are limited due to its thin flesh and tough skin, but it’s a key main ingredient in Oaxacan mole sauces. When I’ve bought them, I dry them out and rehydrate them later to use in sauce.
Can you describe the taste? What makes it interesting?
I would categorize it as the opposite of bright or fruity peppers. Have you ever tried a mole sauce? It’s what gives that a dark, chocolatey, savory taste. When I dry them out (and they get lightly toasted since it’s in the oven), it’s hard to stop smelling them - an intoxicating mix of sweet and smokey. They’re very mild, but mainly used for the flavor.
How interesting. I’ll give them a shot. We use a lot of pepper in our sausages and seasoning, so it might be right up our alley.
That’s probably a really good use for it. I’ve had some mole style salumi that was delicious.