Aji Panca Chiles, Dried

Step into any kitchen in Peru and you’re guaranteed to find the aji panca chile in various forms: grilled and smoked, mashed into paste, milled into powder, infused with oil, and blended into numerous sauces. Essentially, it goes into everything.

Aji Panca is the hipster of chile peppers, eschewing the idea of being spicy as, “Too mainstream.” Instead, the aji panca puts on its crotch-hugging skinny jeans and takes on the flavor of blueberries, blackberries, and purple cabbage. Toast and reconstitute the chile and add it to fruit salads, cocktails, cream sauces, and stuffings or casseroles. You’ll be ahead of the culinary trend since this chile is still totally underground.