Morita chilli: what it is, heat and uses vs chipotle

What is it?

The morita chilli is a ripe red jalapeño cold-smoked, distinguished by its small size (3-5 cm), its wrinkled berry shape and its dark purplish-red colour. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum and is considered a variant of the chipotle chilli. Its heat is moderate (5,000-10,000 Scoville units) and its flavour is smoky, sweet and fruity with notes of red fruits and coffee. It is grown mainly in Veracruz and Chihuahua, where it is smoked with local woods such as mesquite and oak. It is one of the most widely used smoked chillies in Mexican home cooking, especially in charred salsas, meat adobos, pickles and stews of central Mexico.

Origin and history

The smoking of chilli as a preservation technique is of pre-Hispanic origin. Mesoamerican cultures smoked ripe chillies in huts or granaries with wood smoke to preserve them for months, since sun-drying did not work well for fleshy chillies such as the jalapeño. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún mentions in the Florentine Codex the 'chilpoctli' (smoked chilli), the ancestor of today's chipotle and morita. The term 'morita' became popular in the 19th century because of the chilli's resemblance to a small wrinkled blackberry. Larousse Cocina identifies it as one of the two main commercial forms of the chipotle, alongside the chipotle meco, with the difference that the morita is smoked for less time and so retains a purplish-red tone rather than reaching the light brown of the meco. SADER includes it in the category of chipotle chilli and its derivatives, with production mainly in Veracruz and Chihuahua.

Characteristic ingredients

The morita chilli is the ripe red jalapeño smoked for short periods, so that it retains its dark purplish-red tone and a certain flexibility in the skin. The difference from the chipotle meco lies in the time and intensity of the smoking: the meco is smoked for longer, dries out completely and takes on a light brown or smoky-grey colour; the morita is smaller, redder and has a fruity flavour. To use it, it is rehydrated in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes or blended directly into charred salsas. It provides moderate heat (5,000-10,000 SHU) with a strong aroma of mesquite or oak smoke, and hints of chocolate and red fruits. It pairs very well with roasted tomato, charred garlic and onion in table salsas, and is used to marinate pork, chicken tinga, pickles and stews such as onion-fried steak. It is also sold as a powder as a smoky seasoning.

Cultural significance

The morita chilli is a leading player in the home cooking of central Mexico and forms part of the Mexican culinary tradition recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Morita chilli salsa is one of the most popular accompaniments in taquerías, fondas and markets in Mexico City, Puebla and Veracruz. Its production and smoking, mainly in Veracruz and Chihuahua, supports a chain of small producers who smoke the chillies with mesquite, oak or pecan, preserving techniques inherited over generations. SADER recognises Veracruz as one of the main producing states of smoked chillies, and the morita is one of the varieties most in demand by the bottled-salsa industry. In contemporary cooking, chefs such as Enrique Olvera have re-evaluated the morita in fine dining for its ability to provide deep smoke without overshadowing other flavours.

Frequently asked questions