Chile chilaca: the fresh chilli that becomes pasilla

What is it?

Chile chilaca is one of the most characteristic fresh chillies of the cooking of the Bajio and the Mexican west. It is elongated and slim (15-22 cm), with smooth glossy skin, a dark green almost black colour with purple tones when young, and ripens to an intense red. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum. Its heat is low to moderate (1,000-2,500 Scoville units), comparable to poblano. It is grown mainly in Michoacan, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Jalisco. It brings a vegetal, slightly sweet flavour, with notes of fresh chilli skin and a herbal hint. When sun-dried after ripening to red it becomes chile pasilla, one of the essential dried chillies of Mexican cooking. It is used fresh in rajas, stuffed chillies, salsas verdes, Bajio stews such as beef steak with onion and broths.

Origin and history

Chile chilaca is a Capsicum annuum grown in the Bajio and the west of Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. Its name comes from Nahuatl and refers to its elongated, slim shape. Colonial sources mention chilaca among the everyday chillies of central and western Mexico. Larousse Cocina and Ricardo Munoz Zurita's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy identify it as a highly prized regional fresh chilli of traditional cooking. SADER recognises it as a regional Bajio fresh chilli. CONABIO includes it within the heritage of native Mexican chillies. It is the source of dried chile pasilla, one of the most important dried chillies of central Mexican cooking. Its production is concentrated in small family plots and specialised agricultural zones of Michoacan, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Jalisco. The chilaca-pasilla transition is one of the classic examples of how sun-drying transforms fresh chillies into dried chillies with their own identities.

Characteristic ingredients

Chile chilaca is a Capsicum annuum from a large, productive plant, with elongated, slim fruits (15-22 cm) and a small diameter (2-3 cm). Its skin is smooth and glossy, a dark green almost black with purple tones when young, ripening to deep red. Its flesh is fine and fleshy, with low to moderate heat (1,000-2,500 SHU), comparable to poblano. It brings a vegetal, slightly sweet flavour, with notes of fresh chilli skin and a herbal hint. It should not be confused with chile poblano (wider and fleshier) or with chile pasilla (which is the same chilaca but dried). To use it fresh, roast whole on a comal until the skin turns black, place in a bag to sweat, peel and devein. Then cut into rajas to accompany cream, cheese and sweetcorn, stuff, or blend for salsa verde. If left to ripen to deep red and sun-dried for a week, it becomes the famous chile pasilla, an ingredient of mole negro and salsa borracha.

Cultural significance

Chile chilaca forms part of the repertoire of traditional Mexican cuisine recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is an everyday ingredient in the cooking of the Bajio and the west, especially in Michoacan and Guanajuato, where it is used in rajas with cream, rural stuffed chillies, salsas verdes and stews such as beef steak in chile chilaca. Its economic importance comes both from its fresh use and from its transformation into dried pasilla. SADER reports Aguascalientes, Guanajuato and Michoacan as the leading producer states. In Bajio regional markets it is sold fresh loose throughout the season, and sold dried as pasilla all year round. In contemporary cooking, Bajio and Michoacan chefs such as Lula Martin del Campo are reviving it in dishes that value its fresh vegetal profile in the face of the predominant use of poblano. It is a defining chilli of the rural cooking of central-western Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chile chilaca and chile pasilla?

They are the same chilli at two moments: chilaca is fresh green (sometimes almost black) and is used for rajas and stews. Pasilla is the chilaca ripened to red and sun-dried for a week or more; it becomes almost black and wrinkled and is used for moles and dark salsas such as salsa borracha. The transformation completely changes the profile: from the fresh vegetal of chilaca to the raisin and bitter-chocolate notes of pasilla.

What does chile chilaca taste like?

It brings a vegetal, slightly sweet flavour, with notes of fresh chilli skin and a herbal hint. Its heat is low to moderate (1,000-2,500 Scoville units), similar to poblano. When roasted on the comal it develops sweet caramelised notes and a mild smoky aroma. It is a fresh chilli of gentle flavour, very versatile, ideal for preparations where body is wanted without too much heat.

How is chile chilaca used?

It is roasted whole on the comal, peeled, deveined and cut into rajas to accompany cream, cheese and sweetcorn. It is also stuffed with cheese or picadillo (slimmer than poblano), blended for salsa verde with tomatillo and coriander, or added to stews such as beef steak in chile chilaca. In the Bajio it is an everyday chilli for homemade tacos al pastor, gorditas and rural broths.

Where does chile chilaca come from?

It is native to the Bajio and western Mexico, traditionally grown in Michoacan, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Jalisco. Its name comes from Nahuatl and refers to its elongated, slim shape. SADER recognises it as a regional fresh chilli. CONABIO includes it within the heritage of native Mexican chillies. It is the source of dried chile pasilla, one of the most important dried chillies of central Mexico.