Buena Mulata Pepper

Grassy and vegetal when unripe (purple stage); sweeter, meatier, and mildly smoky when fully ripe red.

This beautiful Pennsylvania heirloom traces its roots to African-American folk artist Horace Pippin, who traded seeds with William Woys Weaver’s grandfather in the 1940s; the name may reference a 1920s Cuban hot sauce brand. The long, slender pods (4–7 inches) change color dramatically as they ripen, starting violet-purple and ending deep red, while the flavor shifts from grassy and vegetal to sweeter, meatier, and slightly smoky. Plants are tall and highly ornamental with prolific fruiting. The peppers remain usable at every stage but develop peak sweetness and flavor when fully red. Heat stays consistent throughout ripening at a cayenne-like level, making them versatile for fresh eating, pickling, sauces, and drying into colorful powder or flakes. They excel in containers or gardens as both edible and decorative plants.

Preserved by Horace Pippin, the renowned African-American folk artist, who shared seeds with Pennsylvania gardener H. Ralph Weaver in the 1940s in exchange for bee-sting therapy. William Woys Weaver later rediscovered and distributed the variety, linking it possibly to a 1920s Cuban commercial hot sauce of the same name featuring a mulatto woman on the label.