Aji Merkén (Cacho de cabra) Chilli Plant in 4" pot

Aji Merkén (Cacho de Cabra)

Heat: Mild (5,000 SHU)

100 Days. A Chilean Capsicum annuum known as Cacho de Cabra — Spanish for "Goat's Horn" — and central to traditional Mapuche cuisine. The curved, tapered red pods reach 7–15 cm and are used to make merkén, a celebrated Chilean spice produced by drying and smoking the chillies over wood using a method developed centuries ago by the Mapuche people of southern Chile. The result is a deeply smoky, earthy spice with mild heat and a complexity that bears no resemblance to commercial smoked paprika.

Plants reach around 1 metre tall and are productive in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil. A culturally significant and highly rewarding variety for growers who want to make their own merkén from scratch.

Harvest: Allow pods to ripen fully red before picking for drying and smoking.
Flavour: Smoky, earthy, and mildly sweet with moderate heat.

Merkén Especial Recipe

Ingredients:
70 g dried, Cacho de Cabra pepper flakes (smoke for added flavour)
20 g salt
5-10 g coriander seeds (depeding on prefereance)

Method:
If the dried pods are leathery, place on a baking tray, put in a 180°C oven, turn off the heat immediately, and let sit for a few minutes until crisped. Cool on the tray. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind the salt and coriander together in a spice mill until fine, then crumble in the dried pepper flakes and grind to your desired consistency.

For Merkén Natural, omit the coriander. The traditional ratio is 70% ground chilli, 20% salt, and 10% toasted ground coriander. Use as you would black pepper or cayenne — in rubs, marinades, soups, and stews.

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Plants ship on Mondays.

Seedlings are sent in multiples of 4, and you can mix and match any vegetable seedlings to make up your order.

Details on shipping costs and requirements are on the Shipping Page ↗.

Please note: Photos are representative of the plants available; each plant is naturally unique.