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And the fact that you can use it easily in paste or powder form makes ají amarillo perfect to create sauces, creams, reductions and even broths. The most popular way to consume this pepper is in the form of ají amarillo paste or powder, this means the pepper is dried out (in this state it’s called ají mirasol) and then minced and grinded until a light powder or paste is formed.Īs we mentioned before, ají amarillo is one of the most used peppers in Peruvian gastronomy, being the star of several delicious recipes. The frozen peppers can be found in more places, although it loses quality and texture when being defrosted and cooked. The fresh version of course is harder to get, specially outside Peru. The most common ways in which you can find ají amarillo is fresh, frozen and in pastes or powders. One of the coolest things about ají amarillo is that it can be enjoyed in several different presentations and keep its delicious taste and spice.
TASTE OF AJI AMARILLO PASTE SKIN
Some of the many properties of aji pepper are to soothe pains thanks to the great amounts of flavonoids, antibacterial action, improves acne-prone skin thanks to its vitamin A, burns fats naturally and even helps fight bad cholesterol.
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Even though some people say the spice is reduced when taking out the seeds and veins, ají amarillo ranks from 30,000 to 50,000 in the Scoville scale competing with other peppers such as Cayenne pepper and Tabasco chillies.īut this pepper is more than just great taste. This special and popular ají has very meaty and juicy flesh with a fruity taste. Check out: UMSHA MAZAMORRA MORADA MIX - PURPLE CORN MIX PUDDING Properties and flavour of ají amarillo Ají amarillo looks very similar to jalapeño peppers in shape and color, but they tend to grow a little longer and wider. In its early stages it has a greenish tone. In spite of its name (which literally means “yellow” in spanish), this type of pepper is actually bright orange when ripe.
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Being such a prevalent ingredient through time, ají amarillo is actually considered the most important type of ají in Peruvian gastronomy, and one of the most popular ingredients used.Ījí amarillo can be 4 to 6 inches long, with certain subtypes like ají pacae or ají inca (grown in the southern Peruvian coast) reaching nearly 8 ½ to 10 inches long and considerably wider.Ījí amarillo has thick, juicy, meaty insides with lots of seeds and veins inside.
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Peruvian immigration has increased those numbers greatly.Ījí amarillo has been grown since 6,500 B.C in the department of Áncash. Ají amarillo is widely exported from Peru to countries like USA, Italy, Spain and even Japan.
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This pepper is from the family of Capsicum Baccatum cultivated all around the coastal and northern regions of Peru. If you want to find out what makes this Peruvian pepper so special and exactly how can you consume it and use it in your recipes keep reading! What is ají amarillo?Ījí amarillo is also known as ají escabeche, ají verde or ají cuzqueño. There are thousands of types of chilies and peppers around the world, but only a few of them leave a special mark on the people who taste them and become an emblem for a whole country, this is what happens with ají amarillo.
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