Pimenta Sparanise

Sweet, fruity habanero aroma and flavor with a clean burn; closer to an elongated premium habanero than to a smoky ghost pepper.

Pimenta Sparanise is a Capsicum chinense hybrid selected from Paolo Fisicaro's Italian cross of Pimenta de Neyde and Bhut Jolokia. Plants carry the dark foliage of the Neyde parent and set a heavy crop of 5–6 cm elongated habanero-shaped pods. Fruit starts light green, takes on a purple blush, and ripens creamy white with purple stripes whose intensity tracks sun exposure. Heat is vendor-estimated in the upper habanero range rather than a lab-confirmed superhot, with a sweet fruity flavor that works in sauces, fresh cooking, and dried flakes. The selection is still sold as not fully stable, so sibling plants may vary.

Pimenta Sparanise is a named selection from an Italian Capsicum chinense hybrid Paolo Fisicaro made in 2009 by crossing Brazilian Pimenta de Neyde with Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper). The original cross was circulated through the Italian pepper group AISPES under working names such as Pimenta Elisa / Pimenta Jolokia; Sparanise is one of many later phenotypes isolated from that single family, distinguished by cream pods with purple striping and dark foliage. The name points to Sparanise in Campania. Seed lines are still described as not fully stable, so plants can throw sibling colors and shapes.