Rocoto para relleno - Rocotos for stuffing! For sale in 'El Super', Arequipa
Rocoto chilis are something of a favourite in the kitchens of Arequipa in Peru. These fat bulbous peppers look a little like sweet bell peppers but they are firey hot.
Rocotos Grande and Rocotos Enteros
Although Rocotos come in many colours, red ones do look great! In the photo above above you can see two types, the large Rocotos are used for a popular traditional dish called Rocoto Relleno (Stuffed Rocoto), and the smaller variety is just used as an ingredient. If you slice a small rocoto you can just rub it on your food, meat, vegetables and they will be spicy. You don’t have to eat the chili itself.
Here you can see the distinctive black seeds of the Rocoto
If you go to Peru and buy some rocotos, you can slice and dry them. The air in Arequipa is usually quite dry and warm, and if you leave them in the sun after a couple of days they will be dried out. Cut them horizontally into rings as this allows the water to escape faster.
You could try taking some seeds home (which is illegal in some countries so check first!) but you are probably wasting your time because Rocoto chilis are very hard to grow in other climates. They need to grow in hot places like Arequipa where the climate is quite stable. If you can get some seeds to grow in places like England, they will grow slowly and can easily die in the winter.
