# Kurtovska Kapija

Also known as Kurtovska Kapia, Kurtovszka Kapia, Kurtowska's Crown, Kurt's Gate, Куртовска Капия, Куртовска капија, Ajvarka.
Species: Capsicum annuum.

Kurtovska Kapija is a Capsicum annuum landrace from Kurtovo Konare, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Capsi’s sourced range is 0–7,520 SHU (Lab-verified). Flavor is sweet, fruity, aromatic. Used for The classic Balkan roasting pepper for ajvar and Bulgarian lutenitsa. Also eaten fresh, stuffed, pickled, and used in salads and industrial red-pepper processing. Thin skin peels cleanly after charring.. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.

## Heat sources

- 0 SHU · Lab-verified
  Viktorija Maksimova, Liljana Koleva Gudeva, Rubin Gulaboski, Maja Shishovska, Zorica Arsova Sarafinovska (2017) Journal of Agriculture and Plant Sciences · HPLC
  http://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/YFA/article/download/1909/1727/

- 4,960–7,520 SHU · Lab-verified
  Olivera Bicikliski, Krste Tashev, Fidanka Trajkova, Ljupco Mihajlov, Liljana Koleva Gudeva (2017) Journal of Agriculture and Plant Sciences · HPLC
  https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/18835/1/Bicikliski%20et%20al._JAPS_2017.pdf

- 0–100 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Tomatofifou / Cycle en Terre
  https://www.tomatofifou.com/en/produit/kurtovska-kapiya/

- 0 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Chilifee
  https://chilifee.de/Roter-suesser-Spitzpaprika-aus-Ungarn-Kurtovszka-Kapia-Gemuesepaprika

- 0 SHU · Vendor Claim
  CHILLIHEAD
  https://www.chillihead.co.za/kurtovszka-kapia-chilli-seeds

## Heritage

Landrace

Kurtovska Kapija is a traditional landrace.

Credit: Alexander Dimitrov

Slow Food’s Ark of Taste and Tatiana’s catalog treat Kurtovska Kapija as a traditional Kurtovo Konare roasting type with no named parents. Dimitrov brought unnamed Hungarian seed in the late 1800s; Maritsa later released numbered lines 1619 and 1 from that local type.

## Page sources

- [Slow Food Ark of Taste entry: origin in Kurtovo Konare, morphology, 140–150 day cycle, Alexander Dimitrov and Maritsa breeding, sweet flesh.](https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/kurtovska-kapia-pepper/)
- [Official Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute page for Kurtovska kapiya 1, including fruit size, roasting use, and comparison with Kurtovska kapia 1619.](https://izk-maritsa.org/sortove/piper/kurtovska-kapiya/)
- [Maritsa VCRI varietal review of Kurtovska Kapia 1619 and Kurtovska Kapia 1: kapia fruit type, 140–150 days to botanical maturity, fresh and processed uses.](https://www.plant-protection.com/article/1720)
- [Acta Horticulturae 462:110 (1997). Peer-reviewed study of Kurtovska kapija lines in Strumica, North Macedonia; Capsicum annuum, vegetative period over 141 days.](https://www.actahort.org/books/462/462_110.htm)
- [Culinary journalism on Balkan meaty roasting peppers, Kurtovska Kapija, the ajvarka nickname, and kapija etymology from Turkish kapı.](https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/aylin-oney-tan/septembers-essential-ingredient-red-meaty-peppers-200335)
- [ReinSaat catalog for Kurtovska kapiya 1619: Capsicum annuum, 12–15 cm fruits, sweet flesh, ajvar use, field spacing and germination temperatures.](https://www.reinsaat.at/shop/DE/paprika/kurtovska_kapiya_1619/)
- [Serbian extension/production profile: late kapija type, 80–120 g fruits, thick pericarp, dark green to intense red, yields to 30 t/ha, spacing 20 × 50–70 cm.](https://agroportal.rs/vreme-je-za-setvu-paprike-predstavljamo-kurtovsku-kapiju-moravsku-lepoticu-i-palanacku-baburu/)
- [Hungarian nursery description of Capsicum annuum 'Kurtovszka': non-pungent, 60–80 cm plants, 12–15 cm fruits, dark red when ripe, Dimitrov/Maritsa origin, Hungarian state recognition in 1998.](https://www.megyeriszabolcskerteszete.hu/capsicum_kurtovszka_kapia_paprika)

## FAQ
### How hot is Kurtovska Kapija?

Capsi’s sourced range is 0–7,520 SHU (Lab-verified). 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 Kurtovska Kapija taste like?

Sweet, juicy, and aromatic with a full, fruity paprika character and no perceptible heat. High dry-matter flesh holds together when roasted and peeled.

### How do I grow Kurtovska Kapija?

Kurtovska Kapija: about 145 days to maturity, temperate climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.

### What can I substitute for Kurtovska Kapija?

Capsi does not have that recorded yet.

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/kurtovska-kapija
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data