El Oro de Ecuador

Species: Capsicum baccatum | Origin: Ecuador | Pungency: Medium

El Oro de Ecuador (ARS/GRIN number PI 585244) is an Ecuadorian variety that produces good yields of medium-thick-walled, elliptical-shaped chillies which start green and ripen to golden-orange. They have a crispy texture and a sweet fruity flavour and are perhaps one of the best tasting Capsicum baccatum varieties I've ever tried. The peppers were originally collected in El Oro province in Southern Ecuador, an area named for its historically important gold mining production, thus the name — 'El Oro', which means 'the gold' in Spanish. The area was inhabited by the Inca when the Spanish settlement began in 1549. The Spanish mined gold in the area and then sent it back to Spain.

The name 'El Oro de Ecuador' means 'the gold from Ecuador' in Spanish, and could either be an allusion to the golden-orange colour of the chillies or to how tasty they are, or possibly both. El Oro de Ecuador chillies make a great choice for stuffing or adding to sauces, salads, salsas, soups, stews, casseroles, stir fries and rice dishes. They also work very well on pizza or with anything containing grapefruit.

Page published on: 9th September 2021