Antep Aci Dolma
Also known as Antep Acı Dolma · Antep Acı Dolma Biber · Antep stuffing pepper
Antep Aci Dolma is a Capsicum annuum cultivar from Gaziantep, Turkey. Capsi’s sourced range is 1,000–10,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Flavor is sweet, fruity, juicy, mild heat. Used for Stuffed fresh as a spicy bell pepper, Dried and rehydrated for Antep usulü kuru dolma with bulgur, freekeh, mince, pepper paste, and sumac, Roasted or grilled, Sautéed, Sliced into salads. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
A large Turkish stuffing pepper with the sweetness of a ripe bell and a jalapeño-level kick. Antep Aci Dolma ripens green to deep red, with thick wrinkled walls built for roasting and dolma.
About 1/5.8 the typical heat of a Capsi Jalapeño (31,902 SHU).
Growing
~80 days to maturity
Fruit size
7–18 cm
Flavor & Use
Sweeter and juicier than a typical ripe red bell, with ripe-fruit notes growers compare to watermelon and strawberry, a clean crunch, and a mild flat burn near jalapeño heat that builds from the core. No bitter aftertaste; some growers also note a light smoky paprika finish.
Culinary
About
Antep Aci Dolma is a Capsicum annuum stuffing pepper from southeastern Turkey whose name means “hot stuffed [pepper] from Antep,” the historic name of Gaziantep. In the English-language seed trade it is grown as a large, blocky, wrinkled bell that can reach grapefruit size, with flesh sweeter than a typical ripe capsicum and heat concentrated around the placenta at roughly jalapeño strength. Pods start green and finish a deep red; walls are thick enough to hold a filling or stand up to roasting. Plants are productive in warmth, often 80–150 cm tall, and mature in about 80 days. The same name is also used in Turkey for smaller, thinner-walled Gaziantep dolmalık peppers that are sun-dried for winter stuffing. That related culinary tradition is not the oversized garden cultivar most Western catalogs sell.
Backstory
Gaziantep’s kitchen is built on dolma. Vegetables are stuffed fresh in summer and from sun-dried hollowed peppers and eggplants through winter. The province’s dried stuffing pepper is protected as Antep Dolmalık Biber Kurusu / Gaziantep Dolmalık Biber Kurusu (TÜRKPATENT designation of origin no. 752, registered 10 May 2021). Grower reviews of the Western garden strain confirm a juicy, very sweet red bell with a surprise burn.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreNothing reputable documents a pedigree for this pepper.
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Antep Aci Dolma?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 1,000–10,000 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 Antep Aci Dolma taste like?
- Sweeter and juicier than a typical ripe red bell, with ripe-fruit notes growers compare to watermelon and strawberry, a clean crunch, and a mild flat burn near jalapeño heat that builds from the core. No bitter aftertaste; some growers also note a light smoky paprika finish.
- How do I grow Antep Aci Dolma?
- Antep Aci Dolma: about 80 days to maturity, subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Antep Aci Dolma?
- Capsi does not have that recorded yet.