Sweet Pepper Dulce Italiano

Description

The Dulce Italiano (also known as the “Sweet Italian” or “Corno di Toro” type) is a stunning, elongated sweet pepper that is perfectly suited to the UK climate. Unlike some larger, blocky bell peppers that struggle to ripen in our shorter summers, the Dulce Italiano is reliable, incredibly productive, and much faster to turn color.

 

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Dulce Italiano Pepper (Sweet Italian)

Feature	Details
Type	Capsicum annuum (Bull’s Horn type)
Fruit Size	Long, slender, and tapered (15cm – 20cm)
Colour	Bright lime green → Brilliant crimson red
Flavour Profile	Exceptionally sweet, crisp, and fruity, with complex, rich notes
Heat Level	0 SHU (Totally Sweet / Non-Spicy)
Best For	Frying, grilling, stuffing, and fresh in salads

Description

This is not just another “long sweet pepper.” The Dulce Italiano is prized for its very thin skin, which is ideal for quick cooking, and its deeply complex, sugary flavour that becomes incredibly rich when roasted. The pods are long and elegant, often with gentle twists. They cluster heavily on the plant and are noticeably faster to change from their green stage to their fully ripe, sweet red stage than a blocky pepper. In the UK, this early ripening is a massive advantage.

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UK Growing Tips

This variety is highly robust and performs well even on a warm, sheltered patio in the South of the UK, but for maximum yield and sweetness in the North or cooler areas, a greenhouse is ideal.

• Support is Critical: This plant is vigorous and produces a staggering weight of fruit. You must build a strong frame or use heavy canes for support. As shown in your gardening guide, a strong bamboo wigwam or heavy cane framework is perfect for keeping the plant from collapsing under its own harvest.

• Pot vs. Raised Bed: They grow excellently in 10-liter pots. If using a raised bed, follow the soil mix in your gardening guide: 60% topsoil, 30% peat-free compost, and 10% grit for excellent drainage.

• Thirsty & Hungry: Keep well-watered. A high-potash feed (tomato food) weekly once flowers appear is key to getting them to ripen. If they get too dry, the flower drop-off rate increases dramatically.

• Overwintering Potential: This variety is a strong candidate for overwintering. Bring a potted plant indoors in October, prune it back, and keep it on a windowsill; it can survive to produce an incredibly early harvest next spring.

Usage & Culinary Notes

• The Fried Secret: This is arguably the best pepper for frying whole. Sauté the entire pepper in a little olive oil with garlic until softened. The thin skin becomes almost translucent and the sweetness intensifies.

• Stuffable & Snackable: The long, wide shape is perfect for stuffing with goats’ cheese and herbs or a lamb mix.

• Instant Salsa: Dice them fresh; their natural sugars make a fantastic pico de gallo with tomatoes and Biquinho peppers.

• Freezing is Easy: Because they have low water content and thin walls, they freeze exceptionally well. Simply slice, remove the seeds, and pack into bags—no blanching is necessary.