Aci Sivri

Aci Sivri is a traditional Turkish heirloom pepper cultivated for centuries across Anatolia and the Balkans; its name translates to 'Hot Pointed'. Heat varies significantly by growing conditions, some pods delivering a sharp cayenne-like burn, concentrated in the placenta and tip. Traditionally eaten green for milder flavor or red for full heat.

Culinary uses

Fresh in Turkish salads and meze; dried and ground into pul biber; pickled whole or sliced; roasted with olive oil and garlic; powdered for spice blends and marinades.

Growing it in the UK

Annuum is the forgiving group, and the right place to start. Seed germinates readily in warmth, the season is short enough to finish outdoors in a good summer, and February to early March is soon enough to sow. Germination is given as 10–20 days. 120 days to maturity is a long season for this country. Sow in February at the latest, and keep it under cover from September so the last fruit colours up.

At 90–120 cm this is a substantial plant. Give it a 10-litre pot or a greenhouse border, and stake it before the fruit sets rather than after. The record puts the yield at heavy, so start feeding weekly with something high in potassium as soon as the first fruit sets — a plant carrying that much will run out of steam otherwise.

It is hot enough that gloves are sensible when you are preparing a batch, and that a seeded pod is a very different proposition from a whole one. Thin walls dry quickly, which makes a glut easy to deal with.

Read from this variety's own record — the figures are in the panel opposite.