Aji Largo Rocoto Chilli

A rocoto, and quite unlike any other chilli you will grow. Capsicum pubescens is its own branch of the family, from the cool high Andes, and it carries two signatures you cannot mistake: soft downy leaves and jet-black seeds. Grow one and you will recognise the species for the rest of your life.

The pods are conical, wrinkled, about 7cm, ripening to a glossy deep red, and the flesh is thick and unusually juicy, closer to a small crisp apple than a chilli. Heat runs somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 Scoville units, said to be the hottest of the rocotos, but it arrives behind a full fruity flavour rather than as bare fire. All that moisture means it will not dry well, so use it fresh. It is the classic pepper for rocoto relleno, stuffed and baked, and the walls are substantial enough for the job.

Because it evolved in mountain air it is the most cold-tolerant chilli there is, and a plant brought in before the first frost will often go a second and a third year. It is a long-season variety and needs starting early, or you will run out of summer before the pods colour.