"A day without chile is a day without sunshine" Sarah
Moulton, Executive Chef, Gourmet Magazine
Chiles are members of the Nightshade family- a diverse
family of plants which includes potatoes, tomatoes and
eggplant, tobacco and petunias. Nightshades all evolved in
the Americas—however, the exact origin has been
debated. Some experts have claimed chiles were first
discovered around the equator; however, some have theorized
the first chiles were small berry-like fruit that grew
under the mantle of the forest. No one knows for sure.
No one knows the exact date when chiles were discovered;
though we do know it was many thousands of years ago.
There are several ancient references to chiles in Egypt,
all of Africa, Hungary and the rest of Europe, and in China
and they were well liked in those past civilizations.
Chiles were taken back to China and Tibet by the Chinese
and Tibetans that were the first settlers in the Western
portions of the Americas.
There are thousands of different varieties of chiles but it
could be argued that there are fewer varieties of the
Mexican types. Mexican chilis have different names for
the different stages of their growth. For example, Poblano
chiles (a green chile) are called Ancho when they turn red,
and the same variety grown in Southern Mexico is called the
Pasilla.
Most chiles varieties were developed or created in Mexico
until World War II, when New Mexico State University at Las
Cruces, NM, became the leader, followed by California State
at Davis, CA. There are now over 7,000 varieties of chiles.
Types of Chiles
Chiles can fundamentally be broken down into the following
types:
* Small, very slender chiles—usually the hottest,
such as: Pequin, Arbol, Thai chiles
* Medium, slender chiles—not quite as hot: Chilaca,
Oaxacan water chiles, Caribe
* Large, hybridized chiles—generally the mildest:
these include the Anaheim types, New Mexico types
Chiles can vary widely in heat units even on one plant at
any given time. Dr. Jim Nakayama, (often called the
Father of chiles and the former head of Chile Research at
New Mexico State University) found through research that
chile plants can have up to 35 different piquancies (a
pungent taste or flavor) on one plant at any given moment.
So it pays to learn identifiers that show the relative heat
of a chile:
The hotter chiles will have more pointed tips, and narrower
shoulders (part of the chile that attaches to the stem).
The milder chiles will be less pointed, more bluntly tipped
and have broader shoulders.
Some people feel that, within a chile type, those of
lighter color are the milder ones—however, that is
not as consistent a classifier as the shoulders and tips.
The color of chiles reflect a seasonal variation that
affects the nutrition of each chiles. In the summer, at
the onset of chile production; all the chiles are green.
As the days become shorter, and the angle of the sun
becomes more oblique, the chiles turn red. Essentially the
starches in the green chiles become sugars in the red
chiles. As the chiles turn color, the prevalent Vitamin C
in the green chiles becomes Vitamin A in the red ones. The
amount of spiciness mellows as the color changes, and the
sweetness of the red chiles makes for a milder flavor. The
amount of the healthful substance or capsaicin is basically
unchanged.
In commercial applications, the capsaicin is separated from
the flesh of the chile and the color is extracted as well.
Then for flavored uses, the chile is basically
"reconstructed", so that the flavor will be uniform and
consistent. In red chiles, over 50% of the red color is
used as the safe red for makeup.
Chiles in Mexican Cooking
In Mexican cooking, chiles are almost always used in pod
form. They almost never use powders as they are just not
available. With almost no exceptions, Mexican cooks do
not add raw ingredients to a dish they are preparing. They
generally parch or roast the onions, garlic, tomatoes and
chiles on a comal—which is similar to our griddles,
or over an open fire.
They prepare the green chiles by parching and peeling, then
marinating in an acid for at least two hours or overnight.
The acid is often freshly squeezed lime juice or is
sometimes vinegar—and sometimes even tequila or beer,
depending on the dish. The acid marination serves to make
the chiles milder. This tip works well for any chiles that
are hotter than desired.
Red chiles are usually also warmed over a comal, however
sometimes they are fried in a bit of oil or baked in a
moderate oven (350 F) until the color heightens and an
aroma has developed, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then, when warm they are generally stewed and then strained
for making sauces and for adding to stews and the like.
Occasionally they are added to a complex dish and the
entire amount is blended or pureed and then strained.
The chile flavor in Mexican food is more mild, seldom as
hot as in New Mexican foods. The marination of the green
chiles makes them milder as well as the fact that their
sauces and dishes are more complex, possessing many more
ingredients, which serve to make the chile flavor less
pronounced.
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Jane Butel, the first to write about Southwestern cooking,
has published 19 cookbooks, several being best sellers. She
operates a full-participation weekend and week-long
vacation cooking school, an on-line school, a cooking club,
a monthly ezine, a mail-order spice, cookbook, Southwestern
product business and conducts culinary tours and
team-building classes. http://www.janebutel.com ,
1-800-473-8226.
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