Ocopa
Ocopa is a sauce from Arequipa, Peru, of huacatay, dried mirasol chillies, nuts, fresh cheese and soda crackers. It is usually spooned over boiled potatoes.
Ají verde (Peruvian green sauce)
Aji verde · Salsa de ají verde · Peruvian green sauce
Ají verde is a Peruvian green sauce of coriander, chilli, onion and garlic in a mayonnaise or cheese base. It is best known through Peruvian restaurant cooking abroad.
Two names, two sauces
Ají verde is a name with two meanings in Peru. It names a green chilli pepper, Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum, which is also called ají amarillo, and it names a green sauce made from herbs and chilli. The Spanish Wikipedia article on the pepper treats ají verde as a second name for the yellow-ripening ají; the green sauce is a separate subject.
The green sauce known abroad is a creamy, herb-green condiment made with mayonnaise and cheese. This page describes that creamy form, not a single national standard.
Sources for this section
The Andean base and the mayonnaise
Wikipedia classes ají sauces as Andean in origin, prepared in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru since at least Inca times. Recipe sources describe the older green form as built on ají amarillo and huacatay (black mint), with cilantro and jalapeño as later substitutes.
The creamy version uses mayonnaise and, in the recipe read here, Parmesan. The sources read give no dated history for these additions. A restaurant account from New York says it accompanied roast chicken at a Peruvian restaurant there, and several sources say Peruvian restaurants popularised the sauce in the United States.
Sources for this section
Making the sauce
The method blends first and mixes last. The peppers, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, chilli paste and lemon juice are blended until the peppers are broken up but still visible. The Parmesan and coriander are then added and blended at least five minutes, until the sauce is uniform and intense green.
Oil is not in the recipe's list. A reader comment on the source page points this out, and the sauce is usually made with a neutral oil such as soy, corn or sunflower, not olive oil, which changes the flavour. This page records that point without adding oil to the amounts.
Sources for this section
Storing it
The recipe author suggests storing the sauce in a clean, dry glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and says the flavour improves after about twelve hours. That is recipe advice, not a tested safety limit. Because this uncooked sauce contains mayonnaise and cheese, treat it as perishable: USDA general leftover guidance says to refrigerate promptly in a shallow covered container at 40°F (4°C) or below, within two hours (one hour above 90°F/32°C), and use within three to four days or freeze for longer storage. These are general handling limits, not a validated shelf life for this sauce.
Sources for this section
History
The sources agree that ají verde has Andean roots and that its mayonnaise-and-cheese form was popularised by Peruvian restaurants, including in New York. The sources found do not document when mayonnaise and cheese entered the sauce, and the recipe author's account of Peruvian cooks combining American chillies with European cured cheese is not a dated source.
Ingredients
Mayonnaise
360 g
about 1½ cups in the sourceGreen chilli peppers (padrón in the source)halved, seeds and veins scraped out
170 g
eight peppers in the sourceOnioncut into large pieces
70 g
one white onion in the sourceCorianderfinely chopped, stems included
50 g
one bunch in the sourceParmesangrated
120 g
about ¼ cup in the sourceVinegar
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Lemon juicejuice of one lemon
1 lemon
Garlic
1 clove
Yellow chilli paste (optional)
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
optional in the source; ají amarillo paste is the usual yellow chilliAmount not stated
to taste; depends on the saltiness of the cheeseMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Time-temperature control for uncooked mayonnaise-and-cheese sauce
This uncooked sauce contains mayonnaise and cheese and should be treated as a perishable prepared food; the recipe source's two-week storage advice is not a tested safety limit.
Hazard sourceRefrigerate promptly in a shallow covered container at 40°F (4°C) or below, within 2 hours (within 1 hour when ambient temperature is above 90°F/32°C); use within 3 to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.
Control sourceThe recipe author suggests up to two weeks refrigerated, but that advice is not a tested safety limit. USDA's general leftover guidance is used here for conservative handling; it is not a sauce-specific validated shelf life or preservation process.
- Halve the green peppers across, and scrape out the veins and seeds with a teaspoon. Peel the onion and cut it into large pieces. Finely chop the coriander, including the stems, and peel the garlic.
- Blend the peppers, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, yellow chilli paste and lemon juice for two to three minutes, leaving some visible pieces of chilli.
- Add the Parmesan and the coriander, and blend for at least five minutes until the sauce is an even, intense green. Add salt if needed.
Places
Peru
Documented use · Country evidencePeruvian-style sauce; the sources document Peruvian and Peruvian-restaurant use, not a single national standard.
Huaraz
Documented use · Locality evidenceThe Wikipedia ají sauce article shows a salsa de ají verde sold in a Huaraz market; it names no ingredients for it.
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Sources
EatPeruMethod · Ingredients · History · Storage
Ají Verde RecipeRecipe card: 360 g mayonnaise; 170 g green peppers; 70 g onion; 50 g coriander; 120 g Parmesan; 1 tablespoon vinegar; juice of one lemon; one garlic clove; optional yellow chilli paste; salt to taste.
Method: blend peppers, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, chilli paste and lemon for two to three minutes; add Parmesan and coriander and blend at least five minutes.
Storage advice: clean dry glass jar, refrigerator, up to two weeks; flavour improves after about twelve hours.
Chilli peppers native to the Americas; Peruvians combined American chillies with European cured cheese (the page's account, undated).
Cited in: Two names, two sauces; The Andean base and the mayonnaise; Making the sauce
WikipediaOrigin · Regional · Identity
Ají (sauce)Ají sauces are Andean in origin; prepared in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru since at least Inca times.
A salsa de ají verde is shown in a Huaraz market in Peru; the article gives no ingredients for it.
Ají amarillo sauce is yellow and often mixed with mayonnaise, crema or sour cream.
Cited in: Two names, two sauces; The Andean base and the mayonnaise
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection ServiceSafety
How do I handle leftovers safely?USDA says refrigerate perishable leftovers at 40°F (4°C) or below and never leave them out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).
USDA recommends shallow containers for rapid, even cooling and using refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days; freeze for longer storage.
Cited in: Storing it