Dried Calabrian Pepper

• dried Calabrian pepper
• The dried Calabrian pepper Plant
• How to Sow dried Calabrian pepper
• How to Grow dried Calabrian pepper
• Tips for dried Calabrian pepper
• Diseases and Pests of dried Calabrian pepper
• Uses and Curiosities of dried Calabrian pepper
• Properties of dried Calabrian pepper
• Nutritional Values of dried Calabrian pepper

dried Calabrian pepper

The dried Calabrian pepper is the symbol variety of Italian hot pepper tradition, grown for centuries along the Ionian and Tyrrhenian hills of Calabria. Tommaso Campanella, himself Calabrian, was the first to mention it in a treatise as early as 1635. The fruits ripen to a dark red color, with distinctive streaks at the tip.

The dried Calabrian pepper Plant

plant belongs to the species Capsicum annuum, with a bushy habit well suited to the clay soils and warm Mediterranean climate of the Calabrian coast. Traditional Calabrian varieties are not industrially selected pure lines but come from seeds passed down through generations.

How to Sow dried Calabrian pepper

sowing should be done between February and March, in a seedbed at about 22-26°C, transplanting after the last frosts. Fruits reach full ripeness in about 90-100 days from transplanting.

How to Grow dried Calabrian pepper

growing favors full sun exposure for at least 6 hours a day and well-drained soil enriched with compost. It also does well in pots of at least 20 cm diameter, with regular but not excessive watering.

Tips for dried Calabrian pepper

in Calabria the traditional preservation method is sun-drying by braiding fresh fruits into long strings, hung to dry for months. This technique keeps heat and original aroma intact for a full year, until the next harvest.

Diseases and Pests of dried Calabrian pepper

generally resistant, it can occasionally be affected by aphids and red spider mites, especially under protected cultivation. Good air circulation between plants helps prevent the main fungal issues.

Uses and Curiosities of dried Calabrian pepper

dried Calabrian pepper reaches a medium-high heat level, estimated around 30,000 SHU on the Scoville scale: not extreme, but enough to give character to any dish. An irreplaceable ingredient in 'nduja and countless preserves and sauces of Calabrian tradition, once nicknamed "the lard of the poor" for also being used to preserve cheeses and cured meats.

Properties of dried Calabrian pepper

like all hot peppers, dried Calabrian pepper is rich in capsaicin, the compound responsible for its heat and with rubefacient properties stimulating circulation, as well as good amounts of vitamin C.

Nutritional Values of dried Calabrian pepper

• Calories: about 40 kcal
• Protein: 2 g
• Carbohydrates: 8.6 g
• Fat: 0.9 g
• Fiber: 1.7 g