ají
noun
ä-ˈhē 
variants or less commonly aji
plural ajíes also ajies or ajís or ajis
: a chili pepper that ranges in pungency from mild to very hot and is produced by several usually cultivated varieties of a wild South American capsicum (Capsicum baccatum)
also : a plant bearing ají peppers
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Rather than the usual aji, or Japanese horse mackerel, the aquarium has been trying to feed its penguins a more common type of mackerel called saba that’s larger and, according to the finicky, flightless birds, less appetizing. 
Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 7 July 2022 It has not been well received, with aquarium workers having to get creative to encourage the animals to eat -- for instance, the otters and penguins appear more willing to eat the mackerel when mixed with their favorite aji. Jake Kwon And Mayumi Maruyama, CNN, 7 July 2022 Cover and set the aji aside at room temperature for several hours to allow the flavors to release into the liquid, then refrigerate until serving. Lindsay Campbell, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2020 At his six-seat sushi restaurant in Manhattan Beach, Yasuhiro Hirano — clad in gloves and a cloth face mask — unveiled two wooden boxes filled with cuts of glistening fish: golden-eye snapper, yellowtail, shima aji, belt fish and horse mackerel. Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2020 Small plates: lobster gratin with green plantain; roasted baby carrots; pork cracklings with aji amarillo; grilled cauliflower with jalapeno and currants; corn cakes with pork belly; and grilled octopus with smoky Peruvian chili sauce. Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2020 The beef tastes of sweet soy, and the lobster is glazed in a ruddy sauce made with aji panca, a mild Peruvian pepper. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2019 Others prepare free samples of the Peruvian condiment aji verde and trail mix coated in tangy chamoy. Eric Ducker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2019 Kelis told us years ago that her milkshake brought all the boys to the yard, but these days the singer-chef is hawking a spicy aji verde and pineapple saffron glaze. Kristin Braswell, Bon Appétit, 2 July 2019 See More
Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 7 July 2022 It has not been well received, with aquarium workers having to get creative to encourage the animals to eat -- for instance, the otters and penguins appear more willing to eat the mackerel when mixed with their favorite aji. Jake Kwon And Mayumi Maruyama, CNN, 7 July 2022 Cover and set the aji aside at room temperature for several hours to allow the flavors to release into the liquid, then refrigerate until serving. Lindsay Campbell, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2020 At his six-seat sushi restaurant in Manhattan Beach, Yasuhiro Hirano — clad in gloves and a cloth face mask — unveiled two wooden boxes filled with cuts of glistening fish: golden-eye snapper, yellowtail, shima aji, belt fish and horse mackerel. Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2020 Small plates: lobster gratin with green plantain; roasted baby carrots; pork cracklings with aji amarillo; grilled cauliflower with jalapeno and currants; corn cakes with pork belly; and grilled octopus with smoky Peruvian chili sauce. Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2020 The beef tastes of sweet soy, and the lobster is glazed in a ruddy sauce made with aji panca, a mild Peruvian pepper. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2019 Others prepare free samples of the Peruvian condiment aji verde and trail mix coated in tangy chamoy. Eric Ducker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2019 Kelis told us years ago that her milkshake brought all the boys to the yard, but these days the singer-chef is hawking a spicy aji verde and pineapple saffron glaze. Kristin Braswell, Bon Appétit, 2 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
American Spanish ají, from Taino axí
First Known Use
1822, in the meaning defined above