The Aji Charapita pepper is known as the "mother of all peppers". It is the most expensive spice in the world and is rarely grown commercially, making it even rarer.

Although not yet popular in Western countries, Aji Charapita peppers are still coveted by chili addicts and chefs of 5-star hotels. This fruit is sought after by many high-end restaurants and the rich around the world as a special spice in high-class dishes.

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Aji Charapita chili is the most expensive chili in the world (Photo: Dan Tri)

Because they are difficult to find, they are sold at high prices. According to Tri Thuc Truc Tuyen, in some countries, this type of chili is sold to high-end restaurants for up to 25,000 USD/kg (equivalent to nearly 590 million VND/kg). At one point, the selling price of Aji Charapita chili was up to 35,000 USD/kg (more than 824 million VND/kg).

With this price, Aji Charapita chili is in the "rank" of super expensive spices, comparable to saffron and vanilla.

According to Dan Viet newspaper, Aji Charapita peppers originate from Peru and grow mainly wild. Recently, this type of pepper has been grown for commercial purposes.

This chili pepper is 40-55cm tall, 35-45cm wide, grows well at temperatures of 16-45 degrees Celsius, and is ready for harvest after 90 days. Each plant has hundreds of small, round fruits, red or yellow, but yellow is the most common.

The size of Aji Charapita peppers is only as big as a pea. 1 kg of Aji Charapita peppers is equivalent to about 3,000 peppers.

The Aji Charapita peppers are firm, crunchy, and have a cluster of seeds in the center. They can be eaten raw or crushed into a powder to add flavor to dishes. When eaten raw, the Aji Charapita peppers have a delicious fruity flavor that adds flavor to salads and sauces.

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Super spicy Aji Charapita chili (Photo: Dan Viet)

Despite its small size, the Aji Charapita pepper is hot enough to burn many people's mouths. It is 4-20 times hotter than the famous Jalapeño pepper.

Getting these peppers is quite difficult. This type of pepper is not widely grown in the world so people mainly order seeds to grow themselves.

In Vietnam, some farmers have successfully grown Aji Charapita chili, including Mr. Le Tien Dung in Da Teh town, Lam Dong .

Sharing with Thanh Nien Newspaper, Mr. Dung said that the Aji Charapita chili variety appeared in Vietnam since 2012. But it was not until 8 years later that this chili variety created a fever. Since the end of 2020 until now, many people have asked to buy this chili plant.

According to Mr. Dung, in order for Aji Charapita chili when grown in Vietnam to grow and develop best, produce many flowers and fruits, with quality fruits and guaranteed nutritional content like those grown in Peru, it is necessary to buy quality seedlings to plant, and not to plant with seeds taken from chili fruits.

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The 'world's most expensive' chili pepper becomes an ornamental plant in Vietnam (Photo: Tri Thuc Truc Tuyen)

Ms. Vo Thi Thuong, who specializes in providing fertilizers to stimulate plant roots and seedlings in Phu Xuan commune, Krong Nang district ( Dak Lak ), said that she started growing Aji Charapita chili peppers in 2020. The plants grow well, are easy to grow, have a long lifespan, up to 5 years, and after harvesting the fruit, take care of it and the plant will bear fruit again.

However, Aji Charapita chili grown in Vietnam is much cheaper than imported chili.

Ms. Thuong shared that a few years ago, Aji Charapita chili could be sold for 7-10 million VND/kg fresh. Now, this chili variety is grown widely in our country, priced at only 3-4 million VND/kg.

Many people also crossbreed Aji Charapita peppers with other types of peppers. In particular, many people buy Aji Charapita peppers to grow as ornamental plants, producing beautiful fruit.

According to Tri Thuc Truc Tuyen, a store in Ho Chi Minh City once sold Aji Charapita pepper plants in the form of ornamental pots. Each pot, about 1 meter high, costs 5 million VND.

A type of chili suddenly became a hot commodity, expensive price is still sought after by women. Described as crispy, not pungent, instead of spicy, sweet, the chili called Sweet palermo is eaten directly like fruit. This type of chili suddenly became a hot commodity, sought after by women despite the quite expensive price.