Mexican food guides
What is huitlacoche? Where does mole poblano come from? We answer the most common questions about Mexican dishes and ingredients, with history, origin and recipes to cook them at home in Canada.
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Chilaquiles: what they are, history and the Mexican breakfast recipe
What chilaquiles are, their pre-Hispanic origin, the basic ingredients (totopos, salsa, cream, cheese) and the red, green, mole and divorciados variants.
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Chilate: what it is and how to make the cacao drink
Chilate: a traditional cold drink of the Costa Chica of Guerrero with cacao, rice, cinnamon and piloncillo. A pre-Hispanic Afro-Mexican refreshment.
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Amashito chilli: what it is, heat, taste and uses
The amashito chilli is the wild chilli of south-east Mexico, the base of Tabasco salsas and Chiapas pickles. Discover its flavour, heat and uses.
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Chile ancho: what it is, history and uses in Mexican cooking
Chile ancho is the dried red poblano and the base of Mexican moles, adobos and salsas. Discover its origin, fruity flavour and uses.
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Chile bola: what it is, taste, uses and substitutes
The chile bola is a round regional dried chilli of the sierra of Querétaro and Hidalgo. Discover its dried-fruit flavour, heat and uses in traditional moles.
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Caribe chilli: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
The caribe chilli is the spiciest güero chilli of northern Mexico, the base of northern salsas, pickles and marinades. Discover its flavour and uses in carne asada.
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Cascabel chilli: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
The cascabel chilli is a dried ball chilli that rattles when shaken thanks to its loose seeds. Discover its nutty flavour, moderate heat and uses in Mexican salsas.
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Catarina chilli: what it is, taste, uses and substitutes
The catarina chilli is a regional dried chilli of Aguascalientes, similar to the cascabel and the guajillo. Discover its nutty flavour, heat and uses.
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Chilaca chilli: what it is, heat and how it becomes pasilla
The chilaca chilli is the long fresh chilli of the Bajío that becomes the pasilla chilli when dried. Discover its flavour, heat and uses in rajas and green salsas.
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Chiltepín chilli: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
The chiltepín chilli is the round wild chilli of north-west Mexico, considered the mother chilli. Discover its origin, heat and uses in Sonoran cuisine.
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Chipotle meco: what it is, heat and uses vs morita
The chipotle meco chilli is the large, heavily smoked variety of the dried jalapeño. Discover its flavour, heat, how it differs from the morita and how to use it in…
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Chipotle chilli: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
The chipotle chilli is the smoked jalapeño, the base of Mexican adobos, tinga and salsas. Pre-Hispanic history, meco and morita varieties, heat and uses in cooking.
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Chile comapeño: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
Discover the chile comapeño, a fresh variety native to Comapa, Veracruz, used in regional salsas, pickles and stews of central Veracruz.
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Yellow costeño chilli: what it is, heat and uses in mole
The yellow costeño chilli is an Oaxacan dried chilli, the base of mole amarillo and chichilo. Discover its origin, citrusy flavour and uses in regional cuisine.
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Red costeño chilli: what it is, heat and uses in moles
The red costeño chilli is a dried chilli from the Costa Chica of Oaxaca, indispensable in regional moles and salsas. Discover its flavour, heat and uses.
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Chile de agua: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
Chile de agua is the emblematic fresh chilli of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, used in stuffed chillies, rajas and salsas. Discover its flavour, heat and uses.
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Dried chile de árbol: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
Discover the dried de arbol chilli, fine and very spicy, the base of salsa macha, taquera salsa and chilli-coated peanuts of Mexican cuisine.
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Yahualica chile de árbol: what it is, heat and uses
Discover the Yahualica chile de árbol, the first designation of origin for a Mexican chilli, grown in the Altos de Jalisco with superior quality.
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Chile de árbol: what it is, heat and uses in salsas
The chile de árbol is thin, elongated and very hot. The base of salsa macha, árbol salsa and chilli-coated peanuts. Discover its flavour, heat and uses.
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Guajillo chilli: what it is, heat, uses and substitutes
Chile guajillo is the dried mirasol chilli, essential in birria, red pozole and adobos. Learn its flavour, heat and uses in Mexican cooking.
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Güero chilli: what it is, taste, heat and substitutes
The güero chilli is the fresh yellow chilli of Mexican cuisine, used in broths, pickles and Veracruz-style fish. Discover its flavour, heat and varieties.
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Habanero chilli: what it is, heat, taste and substitutes
The Yucatecan habanero chilli is one of the hottest chillies in the world. Discover its fruity flavour, denomination of origin, heat and uses in Mexican cuisine.
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Jalapeño chilli: what it is, heat and uses vs serrano
The jalapeño chilli is the most famous Mexican fresh chilli in the world. Discover its history, varieties, heat and uses in escabeche, nachos and stuffed dishes.
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Chile loco: what it is, uses and what to substitute
Learn about the chile loco, a hybrid variety from the state of Guerrero used in salsas, regional stews and Guerrero-style green mole.
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Manzano chilli: what it is, heat, taste and uses
The manzano chilli is a highland fresh chilli with black seeds and an intense heat. Discover its flavour, habitat and how it is used in Mexican salsas and pickles.
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Max chilli: what it is, heat and uses of the Maya chilli
The max chilli is the wild chiltepin of the Yucatán Peninsula, the base of xnipec and Maya salsas. Discover its origin, extreme heat and uses.
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Mirasol chilli: what it is, taste and link to the guajillo
The mirasol chilli is the fresh chilli that becomes the guajillo when dried. Discover its origin, fruity flavour, heat and uses in Bajío cuisine.
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Mora chilli: what it is, heat and uses vs morita
The mora chilli is the smoked jalapeño larger than the morita, popular in charred salsas and adobos of central Mexico. Flavour, heat and uses.
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Morita chilli: what it is, heat and uses vs chipotle
The morita chilli is a small smoked jalapeño with sweet notes and moderate heat. Discover its flavour, how it differs from the chipotle, and how to use it in salsas and…
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Mulato chilli: what it is, heat and how it differs from ancho
The mulato chilli is the dark dried poblano, fundamental to mole poblano and to Mexico's dark moles. Flavour, heat, differences from the ancho and uses.