Aji Merkén (Cacho de cabra) Chilli Seeds (10 seeds)

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.

10 seeds