Toro de Oro Chile Peppers
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
This item was last sold on : 10/03/24
Description/Taste
Toro de Oro peppers are elongated, curved to straight pods, averaging 3 to 6 centimeters in diameter and 15 to 20 centimeters in length. Each pepper typically bears three lobes with a conical shape, tapering to a slight point on the non-stem end. The skin of the pod is smooth, glossy, thin, and lined with vertical indentations, ripening from green to golden yellow, and is sometimes streaked with hints of green even when mature. Underneath the surface, the striated flesh is thick, crisp, aqueous, and pale green to yellow, depending on maturity. Within the flesh, there is also a central, hollow cavity encasing a membrane with small, round, and flat cream-colored seeds. Toro de Oro peppers have a sweet, fruity, and subtly vegetal flavor with little to no heat.
Seasons/Availability
Toro de Oro peppers are available in the mid-summer through early fall.
Current Facts
Toro de Oro peppers, botanically classified as Capsicum annuum, are a rare, sweet pepper variety belonging to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Also known as Golden Bull peppers, Toro de Oro peppers earned their name from their similarity in shape to a bull’s horn and are an open-pollinated variety that has little to no heat, ranging from 0 to 100 SHU on the Scoville scale. The sweet peppers are grown exclusively by Beylik Family Farms in Ventura County, California, and can be used in a wide array of culinary applications.
Nutritional Value
Toro de Oro peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help boost the immune system, and are a good source of fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, and folate. The peppers also contain essential B-complex vitamins, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and zinc.
Applications
Toro de Oro peppers have a sweet and mild flesh, best suited for both raw and cooked applications. The peppers can be consumed fresh, out-of-hand as a snack, favored for their dense consistency, or they can be served as an accompaniment to dips on appetizer plates. They can also be chopped and tossed into green salads or diced into salsas. In addition to fresh applications, Toro de Oro peppers can be stuffed with grains, cheeses, and meats and baked, blistered and blended into sauces, roasted and added to soups, stews, and chilis, or sautéed into pasta and risotto. Toro de Oro peppers pair well with meats such as poultry, turkey, pork, and beef, eggplant, garlic, shallots, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil, and oregano, cheeses such as parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella, and grains such as rice, couscous, and quinoa. The fresh peppers will keep up to one week when stored whole and unwashed in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Throughout the United States in the 20th century, the specialty pepper market increased in popularity among consumers and chefs, encouraging farmers to diversify their seasonal pepper selection. New hybrid varieties were created with improved flavor, appearance, and growth characteristics, and many heirloom Italian frying peppers were used in the breeding process. There was also a resurgence of heirloom and open-pollinated varieties grown, which were previously reserved to select specialty growers and personal gardens. Being true to seed, Toro de Oro peppers grew well during this age of expansion, and the best looking and tasting peppers were selected and sold at local farmer’s markets in Southern California. The sweet peppers grew increasingly popular, and with their rare notoriety, the variety has continued to be grown seasonally for the present day markets.
Geography/History
Toro de Oro peppers are exclusively grown and sold by Beylik Family Farm, located in the fertile Santa Clara River Valley in Ventura County, California. The seeds of the golden variety were first acquired by Scott Beylik, owner of Beylik Family Farm, in the late 20th century. Beylik received the seeds from one of his regular seed breeders, who informed him that they were from an open-pollinated variety. While much of the pepper’s history remains shrouded in mystery, the sweet variety shares similar characteristics to the marconi golden pepper and golden treasure pepper, which are Italian bull-horn heirlooms. Toro de Oro peppers were first introduced to the market in the early 21st century, and today they can be seasonally spotted at various farmer’s markets across Southern California, from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.
