This is the pepper that started it all. Kinda.

These were the seeds my wife brought to the USA from her father's garden in Venezuela, after he passed away. Hector López Planchart was born and raised in Carúpano, Venezuela, hence the name of this pepper, ají carupanero (pepper from Carúpano). What is the real name of this pepper, you ask? I don't know, and I don't care. To me, it will always be ají carupanero.

This pepper is a capsicum chinense cultivar and has a flavor profile similar to that of a shishito pepper, but with a little more heat. We tend to char these peppers a bit before adding them to the mash, because, like with most peppers but in a way that feels particularly pronounced for this variety, the heat really opens up the flavor. If you've ever had blistered shishito peppers and thought, these are great but I wish they were a bit spicier, this is the pepper for you.

Every year, when I choose the blend of seeds to start in March, I include at least 5 of these plants, and every year, I obsess over keeping the seeds from a handful of good-looking pods, partly because this pepper is so delicious and partly because it is the thread that keeps don Héctor's legacy alive.