Aji Chanca is a mid heat range cultivar of Capsicum baccatum var. Pendulum. It is very similar to Aji Amarillo but has a more shortened bulbous form and slightly less heat. The flavour of this cultivar, like Amarillo and other versions of baccatum cultivars, is complex and very fruity with a touch of citrus.

The plants grow quite large – about 1.5m high and bear a lot of fruit through out the year in batches. The plants seem quite long lived and will keep growing and bearing if happy for quite a few years. The ones in this photo come from a plant that has been bearing profusely for at least 3 years. They generally ripen up from green to a vivid yellow in late summer into autumn.

This an excellent chill for use fresh and added to dishes like salads at the last moment for the extra bite and fresh flavour.

There is a lot of discussion out there about the exact identity and naming of these baccatum cultivars and obviously a lot of localised interbreeding takes place that ends up producing a huge variation in shape, size, flavour and heat.

And this is confused further by the many wild and domesticated varieties.

http://www.thechilliman.biz/Baccatuum%20Species.htm

http://www.chiliwiki.fi/index.php?title=Capsicum_baccatum

The flowers of the baccatum species group are a distinct white with green/gold trim and at least make it easy to differentiate from other species when in flower.