Criolla de Cocina
Also known as Criolla De Cocina · Criolla di Cocina · Criolla de Coccina · Criolla de Cochina · Nicaraguan chiltoma · chiltoma (Nicaraguan sweet pepper)
Criolla de Cocina is a traditional Nicaraguan sweet pepper, known locally as a chiltoma. Its name means roughly the local kitchen one.
Growing
~80 days to maturity
Fruit size
5–10 cm
Flavor & Use
Sweet and fragrant with a rich pepper taste and almost no heat. Thin walls give a concentrated flavor that holds up in cooking.
Culinary
About
Fruits are deeply wrinkled and irregularly lobed, closer in outline to an oversized habanero than to a blocky bell. Thin walls and glossy skin that finishes red concentrate a sweet, aromatic flavor with little to no heat. Plants stay compact enough for containers or the front of a bed and produce steadily once established.
Backstory
Criolla de Cocina is a long-kept Nicaraguan chiltoma from the Valle de Sébaco in Matagalpa. Local agricultural guides list it among the principal traditional sweet peppers of the region. Roughwood Seed Collection notes that its stock came from a Nicaraguan produce grower in 1999 and records an earlier association with experimental farm work in the 1940s.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreCriolla de Cocina is a traditional landrace.
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Criolla de Cocina?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 0–100 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 Criolla de Cocina taste like?
- Sweet and fragrant with a rich pepper taste and almost no heat. Thin walls give a concentrated flavor that holds up in cooking.
- How do I grow Criolla de Cocina?
- Criolla de Cocina: about 80 days to maturity, tropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Criolla de Cocina?
- Capsi does not have that recorded yet.