Description

Lazzaretto Chocolate Pepper Seeds

One of the Best-Tasting Peppers in Our Garden

Every growing season, a few peppers manage to distinguish themselves from everything else in the garden.

Not necessarily because they’re the hottest, largest, or most productive.

Sometimes it’s simply the flavor.

Lazzaretto Chocolate is one of those peppers.

When we first shared our harvest of these beautiful chocolate-brown peppers, we described them this way:

“Lazzaretto Chocolate are one of the best tasting peppers in the garden this year. Very fresh, tangy, apple, sweet, tart and perfect for anything you’d use Cayenne in. Stir-fry, roasted moles, salads, soups, pastas, antipasto, you name it.”

That pretty much sums up why we love this pepper.

Our original seed stock came from Brandon Pitti of Pepper Jungle (his original source being Max Klopf), and after growing and tasting the fruit ourselves, Lazzaretto Chocolate quickly became one of our favorite culinary peppers of the season.

The pods are long, slender, and beautifully chocolate-brown at maturity. But what really sets this variety apart is its remarkably crunchy, juicy flesh and refreshing, apple-like flavor.

And there’s another interesting characteristic we discovered during our tastings.

The heat increases as you work your way toward the placenta, making the sweeter, milder portions of the fruit particularly enjoyable for fresh eating.

The Italian Heritage of the Lazzaretto Pepper

To appreciate the possible history behind Lazzaretto Chocolate, it’s worth looking at the traditional Lazzaretto Abruzzese, a long-fruited Capsicum annuum deeply associated with the culinary traditions of Abruzzo, Italy.

According to the Italian Capsicum association Pepperfriends, Lazzaretto Abruzzese is a historic Cayenne-type pepper cultivated and passed down through generations of growers along the Abruzzese coast.

Although Pepperfriends traces its more distant ancestry to Cayenne peppers originating in French Guiana, the Lazzaretto became firmly established in Italian agricultural and culinary traditions.

In Abruzzo, Lazzaretto is sometimes used as a general term for hot peppers, much like the regional expression saittello.

Because growers have maintained and selected these peppers over generations, multiple forms of Lazzaretto exist.

The traditional red variety is particularly recognizable for its long, occasionally twisted fruit, thick flesh, crisp texture, and moderate pungency.

Pepperfriends describes the traditional Lazzaretto as a heritage-type pepper maintained through repeated seed selection, with some lines passed down for more than 50 years.

Its culinary importance is equally notable.

Lazzaretto peppers are used fresh and dried throughout regional Italian cooking, including pasta dishes, everyday sauces, and even brodetto, the traditional fish stew associated with the coastal cuisine of Pescara.

The traditional Lazzaretto is more than a pepper grown for heat.

It’s a pepper grown for food.

And that culinary versatility is something we immediately recognized in our chocolate-brown line.

The Chocolate Lazzaretto Connection

One particularly interesting development in the history of Lazzaretto peppers comes from an Italian grower and breeder named Paolo “Lu’ Cavalire” Rossi, associated with an organic agricultural operation along the Abruzzese coast.

Pepperfriends documents a variety called Pimenta De Paolo Black, developed from a naturally occurring cross between traditional Lazzaretto Abruzzese and the Mexican Pasilla Bajio pepper.

According to the association, Rossi cultivated and stabilized the resulting line over successive generations.

The resulting Capsicum annuum produces long, slender fruit that develops a deep chocolate-brown coloration at maturity.

Pepperfriends describes fruit generally measuring approximately 15–25 centimeters in length, with thick, exceptionally juicy flesh and a notably crunchy texture.

Its tasting description includes fresh, herbal, subtly smoky, and cocoa-like notes, followed by a pronounced underlying sweetness reminiscent of carob.

The association also describes the variety as highly productive, relatively early to mature, and versatile for fresh culinary use.

Reported pungency is around 20,000 Scoville Heat Units, although individual fruit and growing conditions may produce variation.

Interestingly, many of these characteristics resemble what we’ve observed in our Lazzaretto Chocolate.

The elongated, chocolate-brown fruit.

The exceptionally crunchy and juicy flesh.

The pronounced sweetness.

And the usefulness of the pepper in everyday cooking.

Whether our Lazzaretto Chocolate is directly related to Pimenta De Paolo Black remains unconfirmed.

Our original seed source was Brandon Pitti of Pepper Jungle, and we have not established documentation connecting this particular seed line to Rossi’s breeding work.

Nevertheless, the Italian history of the Lazzaretto and its documented chocolate-colored derivatives provides fascinating context for this type of pepper.

From Pepper Jungle to the Pepper Guru Garden

We originally acquired our Lazzaretto Chocolate seed stock from Brandon Pitti of Pepper Jungle. His original source being Max Klopf.

After growing the plants and evaluating the fruit in our own garden, it became apparent that this was a pepper worth continuing.

The pods develop a beautiful chocolate-brown coloration, with long, slender bodies, pointed tips, and the occasional twist or curve.

But the real surprise came when we started tasting them.

The flavor immediately reminded us of biting into a fresh apple.

Not because it tastes exactly like an apple, but because of the combination of crisp texture, remarkable juiciness, refreshing sweetness, and subtle tartness.

There’s also a familiar pepper fruitiness reminiscent of the old-school Cowhorn and Cayenne types we’ve enjoyed growing over the years.

That combination creates a particularly enjoyable eating experience.

And the more we experimented with different portions of the fruit, the more interesting it became.

A Pepper With a Flavor and Heat Gradient

One of the most interesting characteristics we observed in Lazzaretto Chocolate is how the eating experience changes depending on which portion of the pepper you consume.

The flesh is exceptionally crunchy and juicy, with a distinctly apple-like sweetness and the familiar fruitiness of traditional Cowhorn or Cayenne peppers.

But the heat isn’t uniform throughout the fruit.

In our tastings, slices taken farther away from the internal placenta offered a wonderful balance of sweetness, juiciness, and refreshing pepper flavor with comparatively little heat.

As you work your way toward the placenta, where much of the pepper’s capsaicinoid production occurs, the perceived heat increases.

That creates an interesting opportunity in the kitchen.

Want the fresh, fruity flavor without as much heat?

Use slices from the outer walls of the pepper, avoiding the placenta.

Want a little more kick?

Include portions of the placenta when preparing your dishes.

This ability to influence the heat of a dish simply through how the fruit is prepared makes Lazzaretto Chocolate an especially useful culinary pepper.

From Fresh Salad Garnishes to Stir-Fries

Many peppers are grown primarily for their heat.

Lazzaretto Chocolate is a pepper you grow because you want to eat it.

The crisp, juicy flesh makes it particularly enjoyable fresh, and the chocolate-brown coloration creates a beautiful contrast when sliced alongside colorful vegetables.

Slices taken away from the placenta are excellent for fresh salads, garnishes, and snack trays, where their refreshing sweetness and crunchy texture can really shine.

For those who enjoy a little heat, including more of the placenta allows the pepper’s pungency to become part of the experience.

And the culinary possibilities extend well beyond fresh eating.

Try Lazzaretto Chocolate in stir-fries, roasted vegetable dishes, moles, soups, pasta, antipasto, or homemade sauces.

Its natural sweetness, tartness, and familiar Cayenne-like fruitiness provide plenty of character without requiring the pepper to be the hottest ingredient on the plate.

It’s the kind of pepper that encourages experimentation.

Beautiful Chocolate-Brown Fruit

Lazzaretto Chocolate produces distinctive, elongated fruit that becomes particularly striking at maturity.

The peppers are slender and often gently curved, with pointed tips and a lightly wrinkled surface.

Some develop pronounced twists, while others remain relatively straight.

As the fruit matures, it takes on a rich chocolate-brown coloration, sometimes appearing almost mahogany under natural sunlight.

The combination of dark fruit and bright green stems makes for a beautiful harvest.

But unlike some ornamental-looking peppers, Lazzaretto Chocolate has the flavor and texture to back up its appearance.

It’s every bit as enjoyable to eat as it is to grow.

Grow Lazzaretto Chocolate Like a Pepper Guru

Lazzaretto Chocolate performs best under warm growing conditions with abundant sunlight, adequate nutrition, and a well-draining growing medium.

Maintain consistent root-zone moisture while avoiding prolonged waterlogging or excessive drying.

For the characteristic chocolate-brown fruit shown in our harvests, allow the peppers to reach full maturity before picking.

If you’re growing this variety primarily for fresh eating, experiment with slicing the fruit into sections and tasting the flesh both with and without the placenta.

It’s an excellent way to appreciate the balance between its refreshing sweetness, crisp texture, and increasing pungency.

And don’t overlook the culinary potential of those beautiful, slender pods.

This is one pepper that deserves a place in both the garden and the kitchen.

Product Details

Name: Lazzaretto Chocolate
Species: Capsicum annuum
Seed Source: Brandon Pitti — Pepper Jungle via Max Klopf
Origin: Geographic origin of this accession not yet verified; Lazzaretto heritage associated with Abruzzo, Italy
Growth Habit: Huge, prolific plants.
Fruit: Long, slender, occasionally curved pods with pointed tips and lightly wrinkled surfaces
Color: Chocolate brown to deep mahogany at maturity
Heat Level: Heat increases noticeably when consuming tissue closer to the placenta; exact SHU of our line not established
Flavor: Distinctly apple-like, crunchy, juicy, sweet, tangy, and fruity, with notes reminiscent of traditional Cowhorn and Cayenne peppers
Texture: Exceptionally crisp and juicy
Culinary Uses: Fresh salads, garnishes, snack trays, stir-fries, roasted dishes, moles, soups, pasta, antipasto, and sauces
Climate: 65–90°F, full sun preferred
Soil: Fertile, well-draining soil rich in organic matter
Watering: Keep soil consistently moist while avoiding waterlogged conditions
Unique: Remarkably refreshing, apple-like flavor with an enjoyable heat gradient between the outer flesh and placenta
Cultivation Tips: Start seeds 4–6 weeks before your intended plant-out date, allowing additional time if germination conditions are cool. Maintain adequate warmth during germination and provide abundant light after emergence. Follow the 4 Pepper Growing Fundamentals I share in this video: Watch Here

Why Grow Lazzaretto Chocolate?

• Originally sourced from Brandon Pitti of Pepper Jungle
• One of our favorite tasting peppers of the season
• Distinctive, elongated chocolate-brown fruit
• Fascinating historical context involving the traditional Italian Lazzaretto
• Exceptionally crunchy and juicy flesh
• Refreshing, apple-like sweetness and subtle tartness
• Classic Cowhorn and Cayenne-style fruitiness
• Increasing heat as you approach the placenta
• Excellent fresh slices for salads, garnishes, and snack trays
• Versatile for stir-fries, roasting, moles, sauces, and everyday cooking
• A beautiful pepper worth growing for its flavor alone

🔥 Ready to grow one of the best-tasting peppers from our garden?

Grow Lazzaretto Chocolate and discover the remarkable combination of apple-like sweetness, crunchy texture, juicy flesh, and classic pepper fruitiness that made this variety such a standout in our garden.