Peruvian Long Black

Peruvian Long Black is sold as a dark-ripening Peruvian aji-type closely aligned with Aji Panca, also known as Aji Brown, a chilli long associated with Peruvian cooking and especially valued for its mild heat, smoky aroma, and berry-like sweetness. It is used in pastes, powders, sauces, soups, stews, marinades, and street foods such as anticuchos, and it is also used in adobo-style dishes where its flavour deepens with slow cooking.

The plant is usually described as a productive, manageable grower with green foliage and white flowers, commonly reaching about 60 to 75 cm high. Its pods are long, tapered to elongated, and usually pendant, commonly around 8 to 12 cm long and about 2.5 to 3 cm wide, with medium-thick flesh and a smooth to lightly wrinkled surface.

The fruit begins green and matures to a deep chocolate brown, and this dark mature colour is the trait most strongly reflected in the Peruvian Long Black name. Fresh pods are described as sweet, smoky, and lightly fruity, with berry-like notes, while dried pods develop a darker, raisin-like depth that makes them especially useful for seasoning powders, pastes, and slow-cooked dishes.

A major identity conflict exists around this pepper group because closely related Aji Panca and Aji Brown material is sold under both Capsicum chinense and Capsicum baccatum. The dark brown, long-podded Peruvian brown type most closely matching Peruvian Long Black is commonly treated as Capsicum chinense in live plant and produce references, while some seed references list similar material as Capsicum baccatum.