You can’t call yourself a true Mexican-food fanatic without knowing about the variety of chiles used in Mexican cuisine. These chiles, which are both dried and fresh, have a wide range of uses in Mexican cooking:
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Ancho: The dried version the poblano green pepper. This wrinkled red-brown, wide-shouldered chile has a mellow, sweet flavor, similar to a bell pepper, with just a touch of heat.
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Chile de arbol: Also known as dried red chiles. The papery thin, long, dried chiles sold by the bag in the supermarket.
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Chile negro or dried pasilla: This long, narrow, dark brown chile is a dried chilaca chile. Similar in flavor to the more popular ancho, pasillas are often used in combination with other dried chiles in traditional moles.
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Chipotle: Dried, smoked, red jalapeños. These wrinkled, reddish-brown chiles add a mysterious, smoky, sweet flavor to anything.
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Habanero: This is one little pepper that lives up to its reputation. It’s pure heat. These small, lantern-shaped peppers are most often used in the Yucatán.
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Jalapeño, red and green: A thick-fleshed, small (about 3-inch long), bright green or red pepper. Has a sweet, fresh, garden flavor and medium heat.
Canned jalapeños are not a good substitute for fresh peppers because their taste and texture are quite different.
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Morita: These small, brown, dried chiles look like thin chipotles but are less smoky with a spicier taste.
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Poblano: Dark green, medium-sized, thick-fleshed chiles. Sometimes mislabeled pasilla in the West.
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Serrano: Small, thin serranos are similar to jalapeños but pack a little more punch.
