But there is much more!
The International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (nowadays part of Bioversity International ) has named more than 20 different wild capsicum species, including the Capsicum Praetermissum we are tasting today.
This wild chili has its origin at the west-coast of south America (Chili, Peru).
The backside of the leaves are a bit hairy but not so much as you've been used of a Pubescens style chilli.
 | |
| Fruits of the Cap 1144 |
I sow my Praetermissum Cap 1144 for about a year ago. It took a while before it germinated and was not a very big grower. When summer has ended it still didn't grow to be a huge plant.
I've seen pictures of big Cap 1144 plants but mine remained rather small.
 |
| Cap 144 seedling |
And wow what a beautiful flowers it got! Even when you don't like eating chillies this is a plant you want in your house just to look at!
 | |||
| Cap 1144 flower |
After the flowers the berries came and took a few months to ripen.
Now the berries are ripe they fall of the stamp easily. just a little push and there they go.
The fruits of the cap 1144 are very small, thin peel and containing 3 to 10 seeds and some moist.
There is no clear placenta like seen in many cultivated hot peppers.
 | |||||
| 2 Euro coin to see the size |
First impression was a kind of bitter what reminded me of the taste of Pseudocapsicum, a toxic plant grown for its good looks. Yes I did try it before I knew it was toxic, but the bitter taste told me quick enough not to try anymore.
After the bitter a nice bell pepper like sweet, without the sour you find in lots of commercial bell peppers.
A gently, but continuous burn makes it a pleasant chilli to eat.
When the burn is over and the bell pepper taste disappears, a dried tomato like taste takes over.
This dried tomato stays very long, making you to want to eat another chilli.
Nice one to spice up your classical tomato and meatloaf pasta's and also would do good as a taste-maker on potato chips. But you'll have to do a lot of work cleaning so many little fruits, I wonder if anyone would really use them.
 |
| Pseudocapsicum, do not eat them! |
But be warned! Bart ones at a dried Praetermissum CAP 1144 and that was a real bugger!
Aldo
