To date, the most expensive hot pepper you can buy is the aji charapita, also known as "the mother of all chilis." Originally harvested in Peru, these tiny peppers can cost upward of $300 per pound.

Ají amarillo is chili pepper native to South America and has vibrant fruit notes reminiscent of passion fruit or a mango, along with a moderate dash of heat similar to cayenne pepper.

Ají amarillo also lives up to its “yellow chili pepper” translation in English, because the spice has a distinctive hue that gives dishes and drinks an “aesthetic appeal,” she added.