By Ines Keane
A fresh chile and its dried self often carry different names. That is the whole difficulty, and it explains why a shopper holding a pasilla may be told it is a poblano, and a recipe that asks for “ancho” may leave you staring at a bin of something wrinkled and nearly black.
The pairs worth memorizing
Wikipedia’s article on the poblano says that when dried it is called ancho, from the Spanish word for “wide,” and becomes a broad, flat, heart-shaped pod. A retailer’s guide, Casa Mexicana, calls the ancho “the dried version of the poblano” and likens it to a giant raisin. A spice seller’s guide, Spices Inc, lists the fresh name for ancho as poblano too.
The guajillo is the dried form of a pepper called mirasol. Wikipedia says “mirasol” is used for the fresh pepper and “guajillo” for the dry one, and translates mirasol as “sunflower” or “looking at the sun.” Casa Mexicana calls the guajillo “the dried twin of the mirasol chile.”
The pasilla is the dried form of the chilaca, a long, narrow pepper. Wikipedia says the name means “little raisin,” for its dark, wrinkled skin, and notes it is also called chile negro.
The chipotle is a smoked, dried jalapeño, according to Spices Inc. Casa Mexicana describes the morita as a small, red, ripened jalapeño.
The naming mistake that keeps happening
Wikipedia, in both its poblano and pasilla articles, says that in the United States the pasilla is sometimes incorrectly called a poblano, though it is a different and narrower pepper. Our reading: if a store label says “pasilla,” look at the shape. A wide, heart-shaped pod is the ancho family; a long, thin, dark one is the pasilla.
Ancho versus mulato: where the sources split
Wikipedia’s poblano article calls the mulato a closely related variety that is darker, sweeter and softer. Its pasilla article gives a different rule: the dried poblano is an ancho if dried green and a mulato if dried at maturity. Casa Mexicana agrees with the second version, calling the mulato a fully matured and dried poblano, darker than the ancho, and says you can tell them apart by putting them side by side. Spices Inc lists the fresh name for mulato as poblano as well, and describes it as smoky, chocolatey and resinous.
So the sources all tie the mulato to the poblano, and disagree about whether it is a separate variety or a stage of ripeness. We show both and do not choose.
Heat: a table of disagreements
Heat is measured in Scoville units, and the three sources we compared do not match.
- Ancho (poblano): 1,000 to 1,500 (Wikipedia, poblano; Spices Inc); 500 to 3,000 (Casa Mexicana).
- Guajillo: 2,500 to 5,000 (Wikipedia, which adds that pungency varies widely, from 2,000 up to 15,000); 2,000 to 5,000 (Casa Mexicana); 5,000 to 8,000 (Spices Inc).
- Pasilla: 1,000 to 3,999 (Wikipedia; Casa Mexicana); 1,000 to 1,500 (Spices Inc).
- Mulato: 500 to 3,000 (Casa Mexicana); 1,000 to 2,000 (Spices Inc).
- Chile de árbol: 15,000 to 30,000 (Casa Mexicana and Spices Inc agree).
Wikipedia’s poblano article adds that heat varies unpredictably, even between peppers from one plant. Our reading: treat these numbers as ranges for comparing chiles with each other, not as promises about the one in your hand.
What they taste like, according to the sources
Casa Mexicana describes the guajillo as mild, naturally sweet and earthy, and says it pairs well with chocolate. Wikipedia calls it “sweet and somewhat fruity” and says the milder flavor suits fish and chicken. Spices Inc says “fruity and sweet.”
Casa Mexicana calls the ancho incredibly fragrant, with a smoky flavor. Spices Inc says “rich and plummy.” Wikipedia says the pasilla is “a mild to hot, rich-flavored chile.” Casa Mexicana describes it as dark, wrinkled and sweet like dried fruit, with a heat that is not overpowering.
The smoked pair: meco and morita
Spices Inc says the chipotle meco is smoked twice as long as the morita and is the larger cousin, and that the morita’s name means “little blackberry.” Casa Mexicana says the morita is smoked for less time and so keeps a soft, fruity character. Both sources agree on the idea: more smoke time, more smoke.
What to do with them
Wikipedia says dried guajillos are seeded, soaked or simmered, then ground or pureed into a paste and cooked with other ingredients, for salsas, marinades and spice rubs. Casa Mexicana lists pastes, rubs and stews for guajillo; marinades, adobos and mole for the ancho; and moles, salsas and stews for the mulato. It also names red pozole and red enchiladas among the guajillo recipes, a good fit for cold-weather cooking. Wikipedia says the pasilla is used especially in sauces, often with fruit.
Buying and keeping them
Casa Mexicana says dried chiles need only be deseeded, destemmed and toasted on a comal, and can also be fried or soaked in hot water. It says to check that they are not broken and still smell like something, since broken or scentless chiles are old and will not yield much flavor. It recommends resealable bags, says they can be frozen if you will not use them within months, and says they keep their freshness for six to eight months. That is a retailer’s advice, not a lab test.
Side by side
- Mulato: separate variety (Wikipedia, poblano article) against ripeness stage (Wikipedia, pasilla article; Casa Mexicana).
- Guajillo heat: 2,000 to 5,000 against 5,000 to 8,000.
- Pasilla heat: up to 3,999 against up to 1,500.
Questions a buyer would ask
- Is a pasilla the same as a poblano? Not according to Wikipedia; it says calling it one is a mistake.
- What is the dried version of a poblano? Ancho, says Wikipedia; the mulato is also tied to the poblano.
- How do I know a dried chile is fresh enough? Casa Mexicana says it should be whole and still smell like something.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia (open encyclopedia, three articles); Casa Mexicana (a retailer’s blog, promotional); Spices Inc (a spice seller’s guide, promotional). No museum or trade body page turned up, so the heat figures and buying advice are commercial.
What we left out
We left out prices, brand names, recipes with quantities, medical claims, the hottest chiles, and the regional growing claims, which the retailers state without support. We found no source naming a maker, so we name none.
Quick answers
- What is a dried poblano called? An ancho, according to Wikipedia, from the Spanish word for “wide.” Casa Mexicana, a retailer’s blog, calls it the dried version of the poblano.
- What is a pasilla chile? Wikipedia says it is the dried form of the chilaca, a long narrow pepper, and its name means “little raisin.”
- Is a guajillo hot? Wikipedia gives 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, mild to medium. Spices Inc, a spice seller, gives 5,000 to 8,000.
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