Red Bell Peppers in Cachi

Both the natural environment and the idiosyncrasy of its inhabitants cause Northern Argentina to treasure many secrets for city folk. Centuries will pass before they are all unveiled.

Until recently, it was known that there were places near Salta, "la linda" (Beautiful Salta) where a great deal of red bell peppers could be seen to the side of the road.

These bell peppers are used in the production of paprika. The small districts where this phenomenon was seen were Cachi, Molinos, Angastaco and famed Cafayate.

Not only does this development continue to be but it has also become a tourist attraction for travelers and travel agencies alike, which have started to sell it and to include it in packages they have available for visitors.

The so-called "The Pepper Tour" or “Red tour" is gaining more and more followers of all ages during the harvest season, which takes place during March, April and May. People come along to these fields to observe this delightful scene and to interact with local denizens and learn about their daily routine tasks.

A conversation with them will transmit precious information. Visitors can learn that the area features the necessary aridity and the ideal level of sunlight for the cultivation of this kind of peppers and that their uniform reddish hue increases their price in the market.

Harvest is made by hand. Therefore, the gathering and removal of the peppers becomes a tourist attraction itself. Small producers use rakes and shovels and scatter the red harvest all throughout their fields.

Just like their ancestors, they dry the peppers in the sunlight. Once they are desiccated, the product is ground and packed.

In the last few years, the banning of synthetic products and the increase in costs have affected the countries that traditionally produced sweet paprika, like Spain. This created a wonderful opportunity for Argentina.

Though most of the production ends up supplying paprika domestically, the remainders are exported abroad. The most outstanding gourmet dishes in the world are tinged in these rubi red shades.