Pepper, Cachucha
Availability:
Cachucha peppers are mostly available year-round with a peak season from summer to fall.
Availability:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
Receiving/Storage:
The recommended optimum storage temperature is 40° – 50°F. They are sensitive to ethylene.
We recommend you store peppers in the middle part of your cooler. The temperature fluctuates from the front to the back of the cooler due to the location of the cooling unit and frequency of the door being opened.
Description:
Cachucha peppers are also known as Aji Dulce, Aji Gustoso, and Ajicito peppers. Cachucha means “hat” in Spanish, and this pepper is named for its unique hat shape.
These peppers are commonly used in salsa, sauces, or marinades, or roasted and used with roasted meats, stews, tamales, with rice and beans, in omelets, sofrito, and used for both raw and cooked applications. They are popular in Latin and Caribbean cuisine.
Cachucha peppers have glossy skin that is light-to-dark green in color, and they have a round to oblong in shape with a wrinkled appearance. They should be shiny and firm— avoid peppers that appear shriveled or decayed. Dry lines or striations across the skin indicate a hotter pepper, these lines are not an indication of poor quality.
As they mature, they transition to yellow-orange, and then to red in color when they are fully mature. These peppers typically have some small, round, cream-colored seeds inside.
They are aromatic and crunchy with a mild heat to them which ranges from 0 to 1,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale, which makes them similar in heat to Poblano peppers. The flavor is sweet and fruity, with grassy, and smoky flavors notes.
