Dried Chiles

AJI AMARILLO
Source: South America, especially Peru. Heat: 7-8. Orange, wrinkled, tapering to a point, and measuring about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a fruity flavor with berry tones. Used in sauces and stews. Back to top.

AJI MIRASOL
Source: South America. Heat: 2-5. Also known as aji amarillo, cusqueno, or kellu-uchu. Usually a deep yellowish red, tapering to a point, and measuring about 3 to 5 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches across. Medium fleshed; has a berrylike fruit flavor. This chile is used to make yellow mole sauces. It is also used in ceviches and salsas, and as a condiment. Back to top.

AJI PANCA
Source: South America, especially Peru. Heat: 1.5. Dark brown, wrinkled, tapering to a point, and measuring about 3 to 5 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches across. Medium fleshed; has a berry flavor with fruit tones. Commonly used in making chile sauces and in fish dishes. Back to top.

ANCHO
Source: Puebla region, central valley of Mexico (Mexico City region), and California, Heat: 3-5. The ancho is a dried poblano chile, and is the most commonly used dried chile in Mexico. Brick red to dark mahogany, with an orange-red cordovan tint when held up to the light. Wrinkled, with broad shoulders (in Spanish, ancho means wide), tapering to a round end. Measures 4 to 5 inches long and about 3 inches across at the shoulders. Medium thick fleshed; at its best when very flexible and aromatic. The ancho is the sweetest of the dried chiles. It has a mild fruit flavor with tones of coffee, liquorice, tobacco, dried plum, and raisin, with a little woodsiness. It is frequently mislabeled as a pasilla. The ancho together with the mulato and the true pasilla form the "holy trinity" of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. The ancho is sold in three grades of quality in Mexico; primero is the highest grade and consists of the largest, thickest-fleshed chiles (pictured opposite). Mediano is the medium grade, while ancho is the basic grade. Indispensable for making sauces and moles. Can be purchased in powdered form. Back to top.

CASABEL
Source: Central Mexico. Heat: 4. Also known as the chile bola. Named for the rattling sound it makes when shaken (in Spanish, cascabel means rattle). Dark reddish brown, smooth, and round in shape, measuring about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Thick fleshed and medium-hot, with a slightly acidic and tannic quality. The rich flavors are a little smoky and woodsy with tobacco and nutty tones, rather like an old red Bordeaux. The tannic heat is noticeable at the back of the throat. Wonderful in salsas, sauces, soups, and stews. Back to top.

CATARINA
Source: Central and Northern Mexico, and southern Texas. Heat: 5. Like the cascabel, the seeds of the catarina rattle when shaken. Garnet in color, teardrop or bullet shaped, sometimes tapering to a point, and measuring about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and 3/4 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a mellow rounded heat and a clean crisp flavor with wild berry and tobacco tones. Ideal in spicy salsas, stews, and soups. Back to top.

CAYENNE
Source: Louisiana, Mexico, Asia, and Africa. Heat: 8 Also known as a Ginnie pepper. Translucent, bright red, tapering to a point, and measuring about 2 to 4 inches long and about 1/2 inch across. Thin fleshed; very pungent heat, with an acidic, tart flavor and smoky, dusty tones. Both the chile de arbol and the guajillo are types of cayenne. Dried cayennes can be used in sauces and soups, in bottled sauces, and decoratively. For the most part, though, cayennes are used in powdered form as a seasoning. Back to top.

CHILHUACLE AMARILLO
Source: Oaxaca and Chiapas. Heat: 4. Related to the chilhuacle negro and chilhuacle rojo chiles. Grown only in the south of Mexico. Dark amber to reddish yellow in color, broad shouldered and tapering to a point. Measures about 2 to 3 inches long and 1-1/2 inches across at the shoulders. Medium thick fleshed, with a tart heat. The complex flavor is a little salty and acidic, with bitter orange and sour cherry tones, some melon and seediness, and sweetness in the finish. Mainly used to prepare yellow moles and other sauces. Back to top.

CHILHUACLE NEGRO
Source: Oaxaca and Chiapas. Heat: 4-5. This prized and very expensive chile is grown, like the related chilhuacle amarillo, only in souther Mexico. Shiny, dark, mahogany in color, and shaped like a miniature bell pepper or almost heart shaped. Measures about 2 to 3 inches long and the same across at the shoulders. One of the most flavorful of all chiles, it has a deep, intense fruit flavor, with tones of dried plum, tobacco, and liquorice, and a subtle, spicy heat. Used to make the black mole sauces that are a specialty of the Oaxaca region. Back to top.

CHILHUACLE ROJO
Source: Oaxaca and Chiapas. Heat: 3. Like the chilhuacle amarillo and chilhuacle negro, this chile is grown exclusively in southern Mexico. Dark red to mahogany in color, and either shaped like a miniature bell pepper or broad shouldered and tapering to a point. Measures about 2 to 3 inches long and 1-1/2 inches across at the shoulders. Richer and deeper flavors than the chilhuacle amarillo, with tones of dried figs, liquorice and a hint of wild cherry. Has a medium, sweet heat. It is used in the preparation of certain special mole sauces. Back to top.

CHILCOSTLE
Source: Oaxaca. Heat: 5. Bright deep orange-red with a splotchy skin. Elongated and tapered, measuring about 3 to 5 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inch across at the shoulders. Thin fleshed, with a dusy, dry medium heat and an orangey sweetness with hints of all-spice and fennel. Used in salsas, soups, tamales, and mole sauces. Back to top.

CHILTEPE
Source: Oaxaca. Heat: 6. Bright orange-red, thin, usually curved, and tapering to a point. Measures about 2 inches long and 1/4 to 3/8 inch across at the shoulders. Thin fleshed; has a dry hay flavor, with nutty and sun-dried tomato tones, and a sharp, searing heat on the tip of the tongue. Primarily used in making sauces and pestos. Back to top.

CHIPOTLE
Source: Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Texas, and southern New Mexico. Heat: 5-6. A large, dried, smoked jalapeno; also known as a chile ahumado or a chile meco. Dull tan to a coffee brown in color, veined and ridged, measuring about 2 to 4 inches long and about 1 inch across. Medium thick fleshed, smoky and sweet in flavor with tobacco and chocolate tones, a Brazilnut finish, and a subtle, deep, rounded heat. As much as one-fifth of the Mexican jalapeno crop is processed as chipotles. Used mainly in soups, salsas, and sauces. Chipotles are widely used in Mexican and Southwestern cooking. They are available canned in a red adobo sauce. The chipotle grande, a smoked dried huachinango chile (see Huachinango in the section on fresh chiles), has similar flavors, but is larger. Back to top.

COSTEŅO
Source: Guerrero and Oaxaca. Heat: 6-7. Related to the guajillo chile; also known as a chile bandeno. Orange-red in color, tapering to a point, and measuring about 2 to 3 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inch across at the shoulders. Thin to medium fleshed; has dusty, green, soapy flavors with apricot fruit tones and a fiery, intense, lingering heat. Good in salsas, sauces, and soups. Back to top.

COSTEŅO AMARILLO
Source: Guerrero and Oaxaca. Heat: 4. Shiny, amber in color, tapering to a pont, and measuring about 2 to 3 inches long and 3/4 to 1 inch across at the shoulders. Wafer-thin flesh; has a light, crisp, lemon-citrus flavor with green tomato and grassy tones, and a subtle heat. Used in the preparation of yellow mole sauces. Also good in soups and stews. Back to top.

DE ARBOL
Source: Jalisco, Nayarit, and the central valley of Mexico (Mexico City region). Heat: 7.5. Literally "treelike," it is a lush plant with thick woody stems. Closely related to the pico de pajaro and the cayenne chiles. Bright brick-red, elongated and pointed, measuring about 2 to 3 inches long and 1/4 to 3/8 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a tannic, smoky, and grassy flavor, and a searing, acidic heat on the tip of the tongue. Primarily used in powdered form to make sauces. Also used in soups and stews. Back to top.

GUAJILLO
Source: Mainly northern and central Mexico. Heat: 2-4. Related to the pulla. One of the most common cultivars grown in Mexico. Shiny, deep orange-red with brown tones, elongated, tapering to a point and sometimes slightly curved. Measures about 4 to 6 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches across. Thin fleshed; has a green tea and stemmy flavor with berry tones. A little piney and tannic, with a sweet heat. Commonly used in salsas, chile sauces, soups, and stews. Back to top.

HABAŅERO
Source: Yucatan and the Caribbean. Heat: 10. Dried form of the fresh habanero. Yellow-orange in color, lantern shaped, measuring about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and about 1 inch across. Very thin fleshed, with tropical fruit flavors of coconut and papaya, a hint of berry, and an intense, fiery acidic heat. Used mainly in sauces. Back to top.

HUNGARIAN CHERRY PEPPER
Source: Hungary, Eastern Europe, and California. Heat: 1-3. Reddish-mahogany in color and wrinkled. Round, measuring about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in circumference. Thin fleshed with a lot of seeds; light fruity and peppery flavors. Used to flavor stews and to make sauces. Back to top.

MORA
Source: Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chihuahua. Heat: 6. Also known as mora rojo. Like the chipotle chile, the mora is a type of dried, smoked jalapeno. Reddish brown in color, tapered and wrinkled, and measuring about 2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Medium fleshed; has a sweet mesquite wood flavor with strong tobacco and plum tones. Has a medium heat that is somewhat lingering. The mora grande is a larger version of this chile. It is brownish black in color, measures about 2-1/2 to 3 inches long, and has similar flavor characteristics. Can be used in salsas and sauces. Back to top.

MORITA
Source: Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chihuhua. Heat: 6-5. Like the larger mora, the morita is a type of dried smoked jalapeno. Bright orange-red to red-brown, tapered, and mesuring about 1 to 2 inches long and 3/8 inch across. Medium fleshed; has a light, sweet, smoky flavor, with tones of plum, fig, and tea and some tannin. The morita rayada grande is a slightly larger version of this chile. It has similar flavor characteristics. Both are used in salsas and sauces. Back to top.

MULATO
Source: Central Mexico. Heat: 2-4. Like the ancho, the mulato is a type of dried poblano. A deep, dark chocolate brown, but medium brown when held up to the light. Rounded shoulders, usually tapering to a point, and measuring about 4 to 5 inches long and 2 to 3 inches across. Medium thick fleshed; has a smokier flavor than the ancho, without the depth or lingering taste. While the predominant tone is liquorice, there are hints of dried cherry, tobacco, and horehound. Like the ancho, the mulato is sold in three grades of quality in Mexico; primero is the largest and most expensive, mediano is the medium grade, and mulato refers to the regular, most commonly available form. An essential ingredient in making the classic mole sauce. Can also be used in preparation of soups, stews, and other sauces. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (green)
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat: 3-5. The peeled, dried, roasted form of the fresh New Mexico green chile, also referred to as the dried California chile. Medium olive to dark green in color, flat and tappered, measuring about 4 to 5 inches long and 1 inch across. Very thin fleshed; has a sweet, light, smoky flavor with hints of citrus and dried apple, and tones of herbs and celery. It is used in powdered form to season beef jerky. Also used in soups and stews. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (red)
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat. 2-4. Also known as the chile colorado and as the dried California chile. Bright scarlet, elongated, and tapered, measuring about 5 to 7 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches across. Very thin fleshed; has an aroma that is wild and a little sagey. Earthy flavors, with a brickiness, some acidity and weediness, and tones of dried cherry. The heat is crisp and clear. In-dispensable in making certain traditional red chile sauces. Also used decoratively in ristras. These chiles are sold in large quantity in the form of crushed flakes and ground chile powders. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (NuMex Eclipse)
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat: 2-3. A decorative chile, available commercially as NuMex Eclipse. Dark brown in color, elongated, and tapered, measuring about 5 to 7 inches long and 1-1/2 inches across. Similar in flavor to the dried New Mexico red chile. Primarily used as a decorative in ristras. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (NuMex Sunrise)
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat 2-3. A decorative chile, available commercially as NuMex Sunrise. Bright yellow-gold, elongated, and tapered, measuring about 5 to 7 inches long and 1-1/2 inches across. Similar in flavor to the dried New Mexico red chile. Primarily used as a decorative in ristras. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (NuMex Sunset)
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat: 2-3. A decorative chile, available commercially as NuMex Sunset. Bright orange in color, elongated, and tapered, measuring about 5 to 6 inches long and 1 inch across. Similar in flavor to the dried New Mexico red chile. Mainly used as a decorative in ristras. Back to top.

NEW MEXICO (Miniatures)
Source: Southern New Mexico. Heat: 2-3. In response to a demand for smaller decorative chiles, these special hybrids were developed at New Mexico State University. They are similar in shape and color to the larger decorative New Mexico chiles, but measure only 2 to 3 inches long and about 1/2 inches across. Manily used to make small chile wreaths and ristras. Back to top.

ONZA
Source: Oaxaca. Heat: 4-5. Rare chile. Bright brick-red, tapered, and measuring about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch across. Thin-fleshed; slightly sweet and also slightly acidic, with flavors of carrot and tomato, and a crisp heat noticeable at the back of the throat. Mainly used in sauces and soups. Back to top.

PASADO
Source: Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Heat: 5 A new Mexico red or Anaheim red chile that has been roasted, peeled, and dried. Traditionally prepared in this manner by the Pueblo Indians for use during the winter months. A dull, dark orange-red, tapered, and measuring about 4 to 5 inches long and 1 inch across. Thin fleshed; sweeter than the dried New Mexico red; has a dusty, toasty flavor with sweet, ripe apple tones and hints of liquorice and cherry. Leaves a sharp, lingering heat on the front of the tongue. Used to flavor soups, stews, and breads. Back to top.

PASIILA
Source: Guanajuato, Jalisco, And Zacatecas (central Mexico). Heat: 3-5. Also known as the chile negro. Literally "little raisin," the pasilla is a dried chilaca chile. There is some confusion over the name of this chile: in California and northern Mexico, the fresh poblano and its dried forms, the ancho and mulato, are referred to (mistakenly) as pasillas. Dark raisin brown, wrinkled, elongated, and tapering. Measures about 5 to 6 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches across. Thin fleshed; has some berry, grape, and herbaceous tones, and a hint of liquorice. Like the ancho and the mulato, the pasilla is sold in three grades of quality in Mexico: primero, mediano, and the regular pasilla. Together with the ancho and mulato, the pasilla is one of the "holy trinity" of chiles used in the preparation of the traditional mole sauce. It is excellent for making other sauces, especially for seafood. Also used in powdered form. Back to top.

PASIILA DE OAXACA
Source: Oaxaca. Heat: 6-7. A smoked chile grown only in the Oaxaca region. Shiny red-mahogany in color, very wrinkled, tapered, and measuring about 3 to 4 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches across. Thin fleshed; has an acrid fruit smoke flavor with strong tobacco tones and a sharp, lingering heat. Mainly used for the rellenos that are a regional specialty. Back to top.

PATZCHARO
Source: Patzcuaro (Michoacan). Heat: 5-6. Related to the pasilla. Deep oxblood red in color, wrinkled, elongated, and tapering to a point. Measures about 4 to 6 inches long and 1 inch across. Thin to medium fleshed; has tea and orange flavors, with a hint of smokiness and green stemminess, and a thin, dry, transient heat. Used in salsas, sauces, and soups. Back to top.

PEPPERONCINI
Source: Sardinia, Southern Italy, and the southern United States, especially Louisiana. Heat: 5. Orange-red, wrinkled, tapered, and usually curved. Measures about 2 to 3 inches long and 1/2 inch across. Thin fleshed with sweet tones. Commonly used as a flavoring for tomato sauces and seafood dishes in southern Europe. Back to top.

PEQUIN
Source: South and central America, Mexico, and the Southwest. Heat: 8.5. Also known as chile pequeno or chile piquin and related to the tepin, which is the wild form. Light orange-red, usually oval or shaped like an arrowhead. Measures about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and 1/4 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a light, sweet, smoky flavor with citrus, corn, and nutty tones. Has a deep, firey, transient heat, slightly more intense than the tepin. Used in making salsas, soups, sauces, and vinegars. Back to top.

PICO DE GALLO (PAJARO)
Source: Northern and central Mexico. Heat: 6-7. Literally "bird's beak," due to the resemblance in shape. Closely related to the chile de arbol. Deep orange-red, tapering to a point, and measuring about 1 inch long and 1/4 inch across. Thin fleshed, with fruity plum tones. Commonly used in salsas, sauces, marinades, and pickled (en escabeche). Back to top.

PULLA
Source: Central Valley of Mexico (Mexico City region) Heat: 6. Related to the guajillo. Shiny, oxblood red, curved, elongated, and tapering to a point. Measures about 4 to 5 inches long and 3/4 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a light flavor containing sharp fruit and cherry tones with a hint of liquorice. Has a dry, dusty, intense heat. An excellent seasoning for salsas and stews. Back to top.

SERRANO SECO
Source: Veracruz and central valley of Mexico (Mexico City region). Heat: 7.5. A dried serrano chile. Also known as chile seco. Orange-red, tapering to a point, and measuring about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and 1/2-inch across. Thin fleshed; has fruit and citrus flavors, and an intense heat. Primarily used in sauces. Also used in powdered form. Back to top.

SERRANO SECO DE YUCATAN
Source: Yucatan and Veracruz. Heat: 7.5. A regional variation of the serrano seco or chile seco. Faded yellowish orange, tapering to a point, measuring about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inch across. Very thin fleshed; has a tart, bitter, and rather tannic flavor with grassy tones. Leaves a strong, lingering heat on the front of the tongue. Used in powdered form as a seasoning. Also used in salsas. Back to top.

TEPIN
Source: South and Central America, and the Southwst (especially the Sonora Desert and surrounding area). Heat: 8. Also known as chiltepin or chiltecpin. A wild form of the pequin. Medium red, ovoid or spherical in shape, and measuring about 1/2 inch across. Thin fleshed; has a dry and dusty flavor and a searing transient heat. Very good in salsas, soups, stews, and flavored vinegars. Back to top.

TUXTLA
Source: Southern Mexico. Heat: 7. A type of pequin chile. Orange-amber, shaped like a small arrowhead or an elongated heart, and measuring about 3/4 inch long and 1/4 to 1/2 inch across. Very thin fleshed; has a dusty, dry, straw flavor and a sharp, dry, lingering heat. Mainly used in salsas. Back to top.