The Chili Pepper Guide

[Margi Cintrano]

Good Evening.

I thought that this mini guide would be of some help with reference to piquant status and sweet status ...

These are the most common types:

1. AJÍ AMARILLO : Usually a medium hot Peruvian chili pepper used in Peru´s national dishes.

2. SERRANO CHILI PEPPER: This is a moderate to hot chili generally used fresh in central Mexico in guacamole and Mexican Salsas.

3. HABANERO CHILI PEPPER: The Habanero does not hail from Cuba. This Mexican chili pepper is shaped like a Lantern, and is quite piquant in nature. Its designation of origin is the Yucatán Peninsula.

4. AJÍ DULCE: Ají dulce denotes sweet, and it is found extensively in Puerto Rican cuisine, in Sofrito. Ají dulce is light green and has a slightly light piquant kick, however, very light and pleasant.

5. PULLA CHILI PEPPER: a hot fruity smooth skin cousin of the Guajillo chili, this chili is often combined with mild Guajillos for added heat in the Guanajuato, Guerrero and Morelos regions of Central Mexico.

6. GUAJILLO CHILI PEPPER: Often called MIRASOL when fresh, this is one of the most common chili peppers in Mexico; it is a reddish burnt sienna, with a fruity and yet tart flavour used in marinades for chicken and pork.

7. PASILLA CHILI PEPPER: This dried version of the Chilaca, often called CHILI NEGRO, IS MORE EARTHY THAN SPICY. It is commonly used in Tortilla Soup.

8. ÁRBOL CHILI PEPPER: Árbol means tree in English ... this thin chili retains its fiery red color after drying. It is rarely eaten fresh. It has a moderate to high peppery heat and is a fave with tacos for fiery salsas.



Look forward to hearing your views on chili peppers ...

Kindest. Margi.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Margi,

I have to respectfully disagree somewhat with this list. These might be the most common chili types where you live, but not here. For example, we rarely (if ever) see Ají Amarillo or Pulla. In addition to those that you mention, other varieties more common in the US are Jalapeño, Poblano, Ancho, and their variants.

I'd also like to point out that your list seems to be focused on Central and South American cuisines. Chilis are also native to parts of the US, and southwestern and Tex-Mex cusines, in particular, have many regional dishes that use them. One good example is Chili Con Carne (or just plain "Chili" if you prefer), which, even though it has roots dating back to the Aztecs, is considered as American as apple pie.

And where is the mention of Asian and Indian cuisines, which make extensive use of chilis?

 

[Addie]

If you can't remember all of the names, there is kitchen art in the form of a very large poster of chilis throughout the world covering just about every ethnic cuisine and every continent except Antartica. It comes in the form of laminated, paper and even cloth and canvas. It has been around for years. The bigger the piece, the more chilis are shown. And they are all named.

 

[GLC]

Here, ancho is THE chili pepper for chili con carne, used dried and ground. The guajillo is also found dried wherever anchos are stocked. Chipotles can produce a variety of sublties, depending on how dried or how long roasted, but always different from fresh jalapenos. Jalapenos are the favorite fresh garnish pepper, chopped or sliced. And certainly the favorite pickling pepper. Serrano and habanero are available everywhere. Serranos are good sliced thin. Arbol is also always in the dried pepper bin.

The chile petin, called elsewhere chili pequin, grows wild locally, invariably very nearly round and a bit smaller than a pea, although elsewhere they appear more elongated. Nice fresh scattered through a sandwich. This is the pepper that, in season, can make wild turkey meat too hot for some people. (Oddly, not only does the name vary with regions, which one is oval and which is round varies, the names being interchanged.) Birds love these, so they spring up anywhere.

 

[buckytom]

addie, many years ago, canadian explorers found a chili plant growing in antartica. they studied it and derived compounds from it used today in the sports cream "icy-hot".

 

[4meandthem]

My super sells Pablonos, Habeneros,Aneheims,Wax,Serrano,Jalapeno,Bells.

They also have 6-7 different kinds of dried or dried and ground.

The ethnic market i shop at has an additional 3-4 kinds of fresh and an additional 3-4 kinds of dried/ground. Fresno and Thai are the ones that come to mind and some little tiny ones that pack a punch but I can't remember their name. California Entero and Pasilla are the last ones I bought dried.

The garden center only has about 4 types of chili plants. Bells,Jalapeno,Habenero and Fresno. I am growing Habeneros this year. I love their flavor in small quantities. I like them best dried and ground so I can control the heat better.

 

[taxlady]

I get several kinds of hot peppers from a local Chinese grocery store, Kim Hoa. They never know what they are called in English, so I don't either.

 

[Addie]

New Mexico has a giant chili pepper festival at the end of harvest every year. My daughter would be in her glory. One year I sent for a string of small peppers for her kitchen. Her whole kitchen is chili peppers and done in red and white. She still has them hanging in the corner.

When I lived in Hawaii, there was a pepper bush that had tiny red peppers growing on it. The folks on the next property over asked if they could come and pick them. I saved them the trouble. I picked them and handed them over the fence. I was afraid my son would touch them. not!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

New Mexico: Hatch chilis! I can still taste them. They're the best! When they are in season all the markets roast them in revolving wire drums over high heat propane flames, and sell them freshly roasted.

It's not possible to attack the subject of chili peppers without writing a whole book. I think Margeaux did a good job of pointing out some interesting chilis, although some of them are not familiar to me (the yellow one).

Maybe Addie's tiny red peppers were one of them that are among my favorites, the Thai chilis, which I think might be same as or similar to bird chilis, little hot ones. I buy them in my local Asian market, and they always look so pretty, most of them green but a few yellow and red ones, looking almost Christmas like.

I use them fresh in cooking but when they start to dry up I just set them aside in my kitchen for a few weeks and let the air get to them, and then when they're dried I chop them up and have my own crushed chili peppers. I think you can do that with almost any chili peppers, or at least ones small enough to dry out before they rot.

 

[4meandthem]

New Mexico: Hatch chilis! I can still taste them. They're the best! When they are in season all the markets roast them in revolving wire drums over high heat propane flames, and sell them freshly roasted.

It's not possible to attack the subject of chili peppers without writing a whole book. I think Margeaux did a good job of pointing out some interesting chilis, although some of them are not familiar to me (the yellow one).

Maybe Addie's tiny red peppers were one of them that are among my favorites, the Thai chilis, which I think might be same as or similar to bird chilis, little hot ones. I buy them in my local Asian market, and they always look so pretty, most of them green but a few yellow and red ones, looking almost Christmas like.

I use them fresh in cooking but when they start to dry up I just set them aside in my kitchen for a few weeks and let the air get to them, and then when they're dried I chop them up and have my own crushed chili peppers. I think you can do that with almost any chili peppers, or at least ones small enough to dry out before they rot.

My wife goes to NM on business occasionally. She has brought back some Hatch Chili wine each time she goes. The stuff is very interesting and goes great with Mexican food. It is a white wine. Ever try it?

 

[Harry Cobean]

my local tesco does stock a fair range of chillies(for the uk anyway)habanero,thai bird eye,green finger,scotch bonnet,hungarian wax etc but the problem is none are grown in their "country of origin" most seem to be either grown in the uk or imported from holland or kenya etc,which seems to result in varying levels of heat/flavour for the same variety depending on where it was grown.makes it hard to replicate a dish.
i like to drop a few bird eyes in a bottle of oil to make chilli oil.i put them in a sieve & pass them thru' the hot steam from a kettle beforehand to kill any bacteria.stops the oil going cloudy.do the same with peeled whole garlic cloves.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I get most of my chilies from New Mexico. Dad goes down once a year and brings back enough for both households. This ensures quality product with no variables. Of course this is for my dried chiles and frozen/canned (Hatch's Green Chiles). For fresh chiles I am at the mercy of the stores and what I can get at the Farmer's market.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Addie, Buckytom, GLC, 4Meandthem & Tax Lady

Good Afternoon,

Firstly, let me thank you for all your contributions, knowledge, photo, and assistance on this MINI GUIDE TO CHILI PEPPERS ...

I am fully aware that there are thousands of chili peppers worldwide, including the USA too. I have not lived in the USA since 1992, thus, things have changed quite a bit ... and I am only a yearly tourist ...

I have NOT included Iberian nor Basilicata, Italia´s numerous chili peppers either.

Due to the fact, that I am not knowledgeable about most Asian chili peppers, I prefer to leave that subject to the experts ...

The only two Asian cuisines worth eating in Madrid Capital are Sashimi with wasabi, a radish root from Japan or Indian which we do monthly. Both the establishments we go to, are packed with British, American, Aussie and Canadian expats ...

Again, thanks and perhaps I shall do a PART 2 - MINI GUIDE TO CHILI PEPPERS, which I seemed to have left out.

Kind regards.
Margi.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Steve Kroll: Mini Guide to Chili Peppers

Good Afternoon Steve,

Firstly, let me thank you for your knowledgeable feedback.

Secondly, I have not lived in the USA since 1992, and the culinary scene has changed quite a bit since I had resided in the heart of San Francisco, California, Greenwich Village, Manhattan and for a very limited amount of time on South Miami Beach 1986 - 1990.

Anchos called Chipotles, Poblanos and Jalapeños, as well as the La Basilicata, Italia and the Iberian Peninsula varieties have not been included as I have had plans to do a Part 2 - MINI GUIDE ...

As I mentioned to our other colleagues online at D.C., I leave the work of experts to experts, and thus, Asia, being the only continent besides Antarctica that I have NOT been to, I am honest, and feel unqualified to take on that project ... Furthermore, we do NOT eat Asian in the Iberian Peninsula or Italia.

The only 2 Asian cuisines that are above decent here are: Stunner Sashimi and wasabi, as Galicia has stunning wild fish, and Indian as we have friends from UK who are of Indian Descent.

Other than this, if you like feeling great as we do, avoid Asian in Madrid or Puglia !


JALEPEÑOS, POBLANO CALLED PASILLAS, ANAHEIM OR CALIFORNIA & CHIPOTLE shall be added to the PART 2 however, I am only able to add what I have tasted, thus, there are 5 Basilicata types and a few Iberian ones ...

Thanks for feedback.
Margi.

 

[kadesma]

I know most of the members especially the men love the HOT pepers. But does anyone enjoy the sweet Italian peppers? I adore them and like to slice and fry them in evoo add salt and pper. They make a wonderful appy. Fir these I use the Cubanelle's they will turn red if left to mature but they never get hot. They are easy to grow and grow straight up which makes them easy to pick I bought a white sweet pepper to try, plus big guy another.Italian sweet. I' did put in 6 jalapeno's for my friends at dialysis one nurse and one patient. and anyone who would like some. So anyone here interested in sweet frying,stuffing peppers besides me?
kadesma

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Kades,

I am a pepper, chili and caspcium woman ... so any kind of pepper ( green or red or gold or violet ) sautéed in Evoo with sea salt sounds wonderful ... I love those, green horn shaped hooks ... as well as red bell --- they are huge in Andalusia, Spain ... they are divine ...

I also love stuffed bell peppers ... green and red and stuffed poblanos with shrimp !

I am uncertain which varieties you are mentioning --- Remember, Los Angeles, is a 12 hour plane ride ! ( NYC is 7 hours and Miami is 10, and Wash. D.C. is 7 1/2 hrs. .. )

However, thanks for contributing ... it is always nice to have your feedback.
Margi.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

My wife goes to NM on business occasionally. She has brought back some Hatch Chili wine each time she goes. The stuff is very interesting and goes great with Mexican food. It is a white wine. Ever try it?

I cannot even imagine wine made from chilis!

 

[Margi Cintrano]

4Meandthem.

The wine sounds fabulous ... thanks for posting ...

I have old old friends in Santa Fe ... Have to have them send over a bottle ! Would make a fab article too ... Interesting.

Margi.

Margi.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Harry and Fiona,

Many sincere thanks for your interesting feedback and contributions. They are always welcomed.

My Very Best,

Margi.

 

[jennyema]

Anchos called Chipotles, Poblanos and Jalapeños, as well as the La Basilicata, Italia and the Iberian Peninsula varieties have not been included as I have had plans to do a Part 2 - MINI GUIDE ...
Other than this, if you like feeling great as we do, avoid Asian in Madrid or Puglia !


JALEPEÑOS, POBLANO CALLED PASILLAS, ANAHEIM OR CALIFORNIA & CHIPOTLE shall be added to the PART 2 however, I am only able to add what I have tasted, thus, there are 5 Basilicata types and a few Iberian ones ...

Thanks for feedback.
Margi.

Ancho peppers are not called chipotles

Poblanos are not called passillas

Ancho peppers are dried poblano peppers.

Chipotle peppers are dried and smoked jalepeno peppers.