AJI
BRAZILIAN STARFISH
Originally home of this chilli are the foothills of the Andes in Brazil. It’s up to 180 centimetres tall. It has unsettled growth and creates several layers of stems. The petals have green or pale yellow–green spots with yellow anthers. The rest of the petals are white. In our conditions, first fruits ripen in late September.
The diameter of round disk shape fruit is 4-6 cm. The cross-section is about 2-3 cm and in the middle, it has a bulging tip. It initially grows on twigs upright, then bend downward. The colour changes from green to orange and in full maturity it reaches red colour. The planting takes quite a long time and ripening even longer. After the first freezing, all fruits ripen. The taste is pleasant, juicy, spicy around 20 000-30 000 SHU.
The cultivation is not so easy. The plant has tendency to break so it must be tied to support, due to the fragility. It likes the full sun. The substrate should be permeable, but not too dry, it needs to get air to the roots.
Aji Brazilian Starfish belongs to one of the most beautiful chilli peppers. Ripened red colour and the special shape of fruit attract each of us. In the kitchen, it fits into almost any meal. I pot it into sweet and sour-salty brine with fragrant herbs. I often decorate dishes by this chilli. As growers, you will boast the beauty and flavour of these peppers.