Shakira

big & bountiful

Shakira F1 is a vigorous, highly productive Capsicum annuum producing large, elongated chillies that ripen from dark green to a deep red. The pods can reach around 16–18 cm in length and have a fresh, distinctly peppery flavour with a moderate amount of heat. It's a variety grown as much for its generous harvests and usefulness in the kitchen as for its appearance.

I grew Shakira in both the greenhouse and outside on the patio this season, and it performed equally well in both places. It's one of the easiest chillies I've grown. The plants establish quickly and then just seem to shoot upwards, producing large numbers of pods over a long period.

I'd recommend giving this one a decent-sized pot, somewhere between 12 and 20 litres. An ordinary large bucket will do nicely, provided it has drainage holes. Give it enough room and it will reward you with an impressive crop.

Although Shakira is generally described as a hot chilli, I found mine surprisingly mild. In fact, I ended up treating it almost like a slightly spicy sweet pepper.

The flavour is fresh and quite strongly peppery, with a pleasant kick rather than anything particularly fierce. What it lacks in heat it certainly makes up for in size and productivity. The pods are substantial, and the plant seems determined to keep producing more of them.

Shakira is a particularly useful chilli for everyday cooking. I've used it in pasta sauces where it adds a little Arrabbiata-style heat without overwhelming the other ingredients.

The large, fleshy pods mean there's plenty to work with, and the relatively mild heat makes it easy to use generously rather than adding just a little for seasoning. It's also found its way into my own version of shakshuka, which has inevitably become Shakira shakshuka.