Beaver Dam Pepper
A Hungarian heirloom Capsicum annuum brought to Wisconsin in 1912, the Beaver Dam pepper is a mild, thick-walled horn-shaped chile with sweet paprika-like flavor and subtle heat. It excels at stuffing, grilling, and adding to goulash or salads while remaining rare outside local grower circles.
The Beaver Dam pepper is an open-pollinated heirloom cultivar of Capsicum annuum that originated from seeds smuggled from Hungary by immigrant Joe Hussli in 1912 and first grown in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The plants produce large, pendulous, horn- or goat-horn-shaped fruits that measure 5 to 9 inches long and 2.5 to 3 inches wide at the broad shoulders, tapering to a blunt point. Thick fleshy walls give a satisfying crunch. Fruits ripen from bright lime green through shades of orange to a deep reddish-orange or red. Heat registers a gentle 500–1,000 Scoville heat units with a median around 750 SHU, delivering a slow-building mild spice that pairs with noticeable sweetness reminiscent of sweet paprika or a slightly spicy ripe bell pepper. The flavor is described as rich, fruity, and complex with a sweet front note and a lingering gentle finish. Plants are productive but may need staking or caging due to heavy fruit load; they perform best with full sun, consistent moisture without waterlogging, and are somewhat sensitive to excess humidity. Listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, the pepper has its own annual festival in Beaver Dam and remains a regional treasure prized for stuffing, grilling, fresh slicing on sandwiches, pickling, soups, stews, and Hungarian goulash.
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Backstory
Brought from Hungary to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin in 1912 by the Hussli family, this pepper nearly disappeared with the rise of easier hybrid varieties but has been preserved by dedicated growers. It is now recognized on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste and celebrated with an annual Pepper Festival in its namesake town each September.
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Reach out →Flavor
Slightly sweet with a paprika-like quality; rich and fruity with a sweet introduction and gentle spicy finish, similar to a mildly spicy ripe bell pepper.
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