# Aji Mochero

Also known as Ají Mochero, Mochero, Ají Moche.
Species: Capsicum chinense.

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.

## Heat sources

- 10,000–40,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  (2019) The Hippy Seed Company
  https://thehippyseedcompany.com/product/aji-mochero/

- 30,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  La Sauce Piquante
  https://www.sauce-piquante.fr/graines-de-piments/1942-graines-de-piment-aji-mochero.html

- 30,000–50,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Chilifrön.se
  https://xn--chilifrn-t4a.se/products/aji-mochero

- 20,000–60,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  (2026) Aquaponics WA
  https://www.aquaponicswa.com.au/product/aji-mochero-chilli-seeds-30/

- 50,000–100,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  (2019) The Hippy Seed Company
  https://thehippyseedcompany.com/product/aji-mochero/

## Heritage

Landrace

Aji Mochero is a traditional landrace.

Slow Food, a 2020 paper on fruit collected in Moche district, and the CHAVIMOCHIC recovery project all treat this as a place-kept northern Peruvian chinense. No source names parents or a modern cross.

## Page sources

- [Slow Food Ark of Taste entry for ají mochero, origin and culinary use in La Libertad](https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/mochero-pepper/)
- [López Medina et al. 2020 morphometry of ají mochero fruit and seed collected in Moche district](http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0122-87062020000300014)
- [Grower notes on species, Moche Valley origin, and confusion with Aji Lemon / Aji Limón](http://www.spicemad.com/p/aji-mochero.html)
- [CHAVIMOCHIC 2023 field day on recovery of true ají mochero in Moche](https://www.gob.pe/institucion/chavimochic/noticias/881003-destacan-cultivos-exitosos-en-moche)
- [Tasting notes on aroma, flavor, heat build, and thin wrinkled skin](https://pepperdiaries.com/aji-mochero-pepper-review/)
- [Seed catalog: species, pod size, plant height, heat band](https://thehippyseedcompany.com/product/aji-mochero/)
- [UPAO work on the Moche Valley type and denomination-of-origin research](https://redagricola.com/la-huella-genetica-del-aji-mochero/)

## 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

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/aji-mochero
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data