Chile Pepper Fun Fact - Aji Charapita

 What is the rarest type of pepper?

 The Aji Charapita Hot Pepper...

Selling for very high prices to Lima’s best chefs, this pepper is the most expensive in the world! The north Peruvian jungle native is a wild bushy plant which produces hundreds of hot, small (.25 inch), round Tepin-like peppers. The pepper has a distinct fruity, citrus aroma and is equal in heat to a cayenne pepper. Due to its rarity and hefty prices, it is often known as the "Mother of All Chilis" and is very hard to source outside of Peru. We are happy here at Baker Creek to bring such an amazing pepper to light! Used fresh, this tiny pepper is known to have a strong fruity flavor that gives salsas and sauces a unique tropical taste. More often, it is used as powder for various dishes. Baker Creek's Shannie McCabe and Deb Vlietstra found this variety growing in a pot in a Peruvian friend's house. Indeed, the Aji Charapita is a popular house plant in Peru, where the delicious peppers are harvested as needed right in the kitchen.