Aji Mochero
Also known as Ají Mochero · Mochero · Ají Moche
Aji Mochero is a Capsicum chinense landrace from Moche Valley, La Libertad, Peru. Capsi’s sourced range is 10,000–100,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Flavor is citrus, fruity, grassy. Used for Fresh in Trujillo-style ceviche, burst-crab sauce (cangrejo reventado), shambar, and table salsas. Also used in a pisco maceration made in La Libertad.. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
Aji Mochero is a compact Capsicum chinense from the Moche Valley on Peru’s northern coast. The small yellow pods carry a citrus aroma used in Trujillo ceviche and other coastal dishes from La Libertad.
Growing
~80 days to maturity
Fruit size
4–6 cm
Flavor & Use
Grassy and lightly floral on the first bite, then a brief fruity flash. Citrus returns late. The thin skin stays crunchy.
Culinary
About
Ripe pods are small and conical, often called trompito locally, turning from green to a bright lemon yellow. Skin is thin with a light wrinkle, and the walls stay juicy. Flavor starts grassy and lightly floral, then a short fruity burst, with citrus coming back at the finish. Heat is hot rather than superhot, a slow tongue burn that lingers in the throat. Plants stay short and bushy, usually under a meter, and set fruit heavily in pots or in the ground. In the kitchen the fresh chile goes into ceviche a la trujillana, cangrejo reventado, Monday shambar, and simple salsas. A less common orange spinning-top type shows up in the same valley plantings.
Backstory
Farmers in the Campiña de Moche have kept this chile in mixed household plots for generations. The name points to the district of Moche, in the same valley that held the Moche and Salinar cultures. By the late twentieth century, restaurants in Huanchaco and even Moche had mostly switched to ají limo shipped from elsewhere, and plantings shrank to a few rows. Slow Food listed it on the Ark of Taste. Proyecto Especial CHAVIMOCHIC, the Asociación Huerta Mochera, and researchers at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina have been working since the 2010s to recover seed and to seek a denominación de origen. Markets in Trujillo still sell look-alike yellow chiles under the same name, so the true valley type is easy to miss.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreAji Mochero is a traditional landrace.
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Aji Mochero?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 10,000–100,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Aji Mochero taste like?
- Grassy and lightly floral on the first bite, then a brief fruity flash. Citrus returns late. The thin skin stays crunchy.
- How do I grow Aji Mochero?
- Aji Mochero: about 80 days to maturity, subtropical dry climate, full sun, hardiness zones 10-12.
- What can I substitute for Aji Mochero?
- Aji Limo