Aleppo pepper

(Capsicum annuum) This pepper, also known as the Halaby pepper, is picked when it turns red and is then coarsely ground. The chilli pepper flakes are sold as pul biber in Turkish markets. Thanks to the merchants of centuries past that traded along the Silk Road, the pepper spread from Aleppo to the whole world. The chilli powder is not particularly hot, but is rather both bitter and sweet. I sometimes replace it with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika.