Red costeño chilli: what it is, heat and uses in moles

What is it?

The red costeño chilli is a regional dried chilli of the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Guerrero, valued for its deep flavour and its moderate-high heat. It is elongated, measures between 6 and 8 cm, has a pointed shape and a glossy dark or wine-red colour. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum and is grown in small plots of the Oaxaca coast, where the warm, humid climate favours its aromatic qualities. Its heat is moderate-high (15,000-30,000 Scoville units). It provides a fruity flavour with notes of red fruits and a herbal hint. It is used mainly in regional Oaxacan moles, coastal salsas, adobos and broths, and is sold above all in the local markets of Pinotepa Nacional, Jamiltepec, Pochutla and Puerto Escondido.

Origin and history

The costeño chilli is one of the most representative regional chillies of the Afro-mestizo and indigenous cuisine of the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Its cultivation goes back to pre-Hispanic times, when the Mixtec and Chatino peoples of the coast sowed it in family milpas. The cuisine of the Oaxaca coast, deeply influenced by Mixtec, Chatino, Afro-Mexican and mestizo contributions, preserves the red costeño as an identity ingredient. Larousse Cocina and the Diccionario Enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana identify it as a key ingredient of the coastal moles and of some variants of mole amarillo and the chichilo of the Sierra Mixe. CONABIO documents its membership of the heritage of native Mexican chillies. SADER recognises it as a regional chilli of Oaxaca with potential for a denomination of origin. Its artisanal production supports the economy of small indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities of the coast, with sun-drying techniques inherited from generation to generation.

Characteristic ingredients

The red costeño chilli is a Capsicum annuum traditionally grown in small milpas of the Oaxaca Costa Chica. The fruits are harvested when they reach an intense red, and dried in the sun over several days until the skin becomes crunchy and shiny. It has an elongated, pointed shape (6-8 cm), smooth skin with a certain sheen and a deep red colour. Its heat is moderate-high (15,000-30,000 SHU), above the guajillo and below the chile de árbol. Its flavour provides fruity notes of dried red fruits, a herbal hint and a slight astringency. To use it, it is deveined and deseeded, briefly toasted on a comal (taking care not to burn it) and rehydrated in hot water for about 15 minutes. It is then blended with tomato and garlic to make adobos and salsas. It pairs very well with chilcostle, yellow costeño and other regional chillies to make Oaxacan moles. It is a key ingredient of the coastal salsa with roasted tomato and is used in fish and seafood broths typical of the coast.

Cultural significance

The red costeño chilli forms part of the repertoire of native chillies that sustain Oaxacan cuisine, recognised as part of the traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is an identity ingredient of the Oaxaca Costa Chica, where its production and trade in local markets such as those of Pinotepa Nacional and Jamiltepec keep alive the Afro-mestizo and indigenous culinary culture. It is essential in the coastal moles and appears in variants of the seven moles of Oaxaca when there is a shortage of chilhuacle or chilcostle. SADER and CONABIO highlight its genetic value as part of the diversity of native chillies. Its artisanal production supports Mixtec, Chatino and Afro-Mexican families of the coast, in a rural economy where the dried chilli is sold by the kilo to intermediaries and Oaxacan restaurants. In contemporary cooking, Oaxacan chefs such as Alejandro Ruiz and Olga Cabrera revive it in dishes that champion the regional chillies against the homogenisation of the national market.

Frequently asked questions