Mexican Recipes

A Guide to Mexican Chiles

A guide to Mexican Chiles

First let's clear up the spelling. Some spell it "chili", some spell it "chile". They are both acceptable spellings of the chile pepper. However, the spelling "chile" seems to more predominate in Mexican culture. So we will use that spelling here.

Use of the chile pepper is what distinguishes authentic Mexican food from TexMex, CalMex and other Americanized versions of Mexican cuisine. Not to mention other modified versions around the world. Generally, these imitations substitute tomato for the chile pepper. And the truth is...it just isn't the same without chile peppers.

There are over 60 varieties of chiles, some mild, some hot and some lethal. The hottest part of the pepper is the seeds and membrane inside the chile. Most recipes call for these to be removed before using in cooking. What's left is a little heat and all the flavor.

Since many of these chile peppers are not available worldwide, the common practice is to substitute jalapeno peppers when necessary, since they seem to be available universally.

Here are some of the more popular peppers used extensively in authentic Mexican cooking:

Ancho Chiles:Dark red chiles with a mild flavor used in many sauces. Probably the most popular chile used in Mexican cooking.
Anaheim: Mild, light green chiles used mostly in the United States for Chiles Rellenos.
Chipotie Chiles: Very flavorful jalapenos that have been dried and smoked. Sold dried and canned.
Chilaca: Another mild chile much like the Anaheim in look and taste.
Habanero: DON'T MESS WITH ME! Not used in Mexican cooking...for a good reason. This pepper is deadly hot. Just thought I should mention it. However, it is not the worlds hottest pepper. That honor currently belongs to the Naga Jolokia pepper said to have been developed in India. This pepper holds the world record of measuring 1,041,427 Scoville units (the standard for measuring hotness in peppers). Just to give you a point of reference, a jalapeno measures no more than 5.000 scoville units.
Guajillo: A dried red chile that is used more for color than flavor
Guero Chiles: Small, yellow, mildly hot, sold fresh or pickled.
Mulato Chiles: Mild flavored, brown peppers frequently substituted for Ancho peppers, although a bit more pungent.
Poblano: Can be mild or hot. Look like bell peppers. Used in Chiles Rellenos.
Serrano Chiles: Small, green and very hot. Frequently used in salsa.

As noted above, there are many chile pepper varieties. These are just some of the more common used in Mexican cooking.