General Information
The Manzano chile, originally from South America, is one of the few chiles that are cultivated in Mexico that are not included in the Capsicum annuum species. It is part of the Capsicum pubescens species from the Andes region. Its name of “Manzano”, meaning apple, it has others such as Chile Peron, Chile Caballo and Chile Ciruelo. It is very resistant to low temperatures and is commonly grown at high altitudes. The states of Mexico; Queretaro, Chiapas and Guerrero, in their high elevations produce it in a limited form and for local consumption. It grows in a large shrub, sometimes as a creeper and reaches about 3 meters. Its fruit is spherical and measures from 3 to 5 cm. in diameter. It turns yellow-orange when ripe.
Also known as the rocoto pepper is measures 50,000 – 100,000 units on the Scoville heat scale making it a very hot pepper. This chile is typically found in South America. It is among the oldest of domesticated peppers, and was grown up to as much as 5000 years ago.
History
The Manzano pepper dates back to the ancient civilizations of the Andes mountain region of Chile and Argentina. Colonial historian’s note it was at that time known as Rocoto pepper. In addition to ancient texts that describe the peppers what is believed to be images of the Manzano pepper can be found on prehistoric pottery and tapestries found in the Andes region. The Manzana chile thrives in the 6,000 – 10,000-foot altitude level. At lower levels the pepper will produce some fruits but very few with seeds, at higher levels the temperature is too low for plants to be successful. In addition to the Andes region today the pepper is grown in high elevation parts of Mexico such as Guerrero, Queretaro and Chiapas. On average Manzano pepper plants can be maintained as a perennial for four to five years with older plants offering a higher yield of peppers.
