Cacho de Cabra (also known as Ají Cacho de Cabra) is a traditional Chilean chili pepper named for its curved, goat-horn shape. It offers medium heat of 1,000–5,000 Scoville heat units with a sweet, fruity, and smoky flavor profile. Native to Chile, it is a staple in local cuisine, especially for making the iconic smoked spice blend Merkén.
Cacho de Cabra peppers are elongated and slightly curved, typically measuring 2 to 4 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. They ripen from vivid green or yellow to a deep fiery red, with thin walls and smooth skin. The flavor starts sweet and fruity with citrus-like notes and a light tang, quickly developing smoky and earthy undertones that provide excellent depth. This low-to-medium heat pepper (1,000–5,000 SHU, averaging 3,000) is versatile and family-friendly, never reaching the upper limits of hotter varieties like the jalapeño. In Chilean cuisine, it is used fresh in salsas, sauces, and traditional dishes such as pebre or causa. More commonly, the peppers are dried, smoked over wood fires, and ground into Merkén—a traditional Mapuche condiment often blended with toasted coriander seeds and salt. Merkén seasons meats, soups, stews, bread, roasted vegetables, and even snacks like mani merkén. The peppers are also valued for their robust aroma similar to sweet paprika but with a pleasant bite. They thrive in hot climates with low rainfall on clay or sandy soils and are sown in winter for early summer harvest. Home gardeners can grow them from seed in full sun with well-drained soil, expecting plants 24–36 inches tall that mature in 70–90 days.
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Cacho de Cabra, meaning 'goat's horn' in Spanish, is a heritage pepper native to Chile and traditionally used by the Mapuche people. It forms the base of Merkén, a smoked chili powder central to Mapuche and Chilean cuisine for centuries. The peppers are sun-dried then smoked over wood fires before grinding, preserving their unique flavor for use as a versatile seasoning.
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