Chile morita: the small smoked jalapeño

What is it?

Chile morita is a ripe red jalapeño cold-smoked and distinguished by its small size (3-5 cm), its shape of a wrinkled mulberry and its dark purple-red colour. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum and is considered a variant of chile chipotle. 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 above all in Veracruz and Chihuahua, where it is smoked with local woods such as mesquite and oak. It is one of the most-used smoked chillies in Mexican home cooking, especially in charred salsas, meat adobos, pickles and stews of central Mexico.

Origin and history

Smoking chilli as a preservation technique is of pre-Hispanic origin. Mesoamerican cultures smoked ripe chillies in huts or granaries with firewood smoke to preserve them for months, since sun-drying did not work well for fleshy chillies such as 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 nineteenth century due to the chilli's resemblance to a small wrinkled mulberry. Larousse Cocina identifies it as one of the two main commercial forms of chipotle, alongside chipotle meco, with the difference that morita is smoked for less time and therefore retains a purple-red tone and does not reach the light brown of the meco. SADER includes it in the chipotle and derivatives category, with main production in Veracruz and Chihuahua.

Characteristic ingredients

Chile morita is the ripe red jalapeño subjected to short-period smoking, so that it retains its dark purple-red tone and a certain flexibility in the skin. The difference with chipotle meco lies in the time and intensity of smoking: the meco is smoked more, dries out completely and acquires a light brown or smoky-grey colour; the morita is smaller, redder and with a fruity flavour. To use it, it is rehydrated in hot water for between 10 and 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, hints of chocolate and red fruits. It combines very well with roasted tomato, charred garlic and onion in table salsas, and is used to marinate pork, chicken tinga, pickles and dishes such as steak with onions. It is also sold powdered as a smoky seasoning.

Cultural significance

Chile morita is a protagonist of central Mexican home cooking and forms part of the Mexican culinary tradition recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Chile morita salsa is one of the most popular accompaniments in taquerías, fondas and markets of 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, maintaining techniques inherited for generations. SADER recognises Veracruz as one of the main states producing smoked chillies, and morita represents one of the most demanded varieties for the bottled salsa industry. In contemporary cooking, chefs such as Enrique Olvera have revalued morita in haute cuisine for its capacity to bring deep smoke without overshadowing other flavours.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chile morita and chile chipotle?

Chipotle is the general term for smoked jalapeño and covers two commercial varieties: the meco (large, beige or light brown, very smoky) and the morita (small, purple-red, shorter smoking). The morita is fruitier and sweeter, while the meco is drier and smokier. In traditional recipes they are chosen according to the result: morita for fresh salsas, meco for thick adobos.

What does chile morita taste like?

It provides a smoky flavour with fruity notes of mulberry, plum and red fruits, along with a sweet hint and a touch of bitter chocolate. Its heat is moderate (5,000-10,000 Scoville units), comparable to fresh jalapeño. The smoking with woods such as mesquite or oak gives it the distinctive character that defines morita salsas and pork adobos.

How is chile morita prepared?

It is usually very lightly toasted, rehydrated in hot water for between 10 and 15 minutes and blended with roasted tomato, garlic and onion to make charred salsas. It is also added whole to stews so that it provides smoke and is removed at serving. For adobos and marinades, it is blended with vinegar and spices. In powder form it is used to season grilled meats and home fried foods.

Where does chile morita originate?

The jalapeño from which it comes is native to the state of Veracruz, especially the Xalapa region, from which it takes its name. The smoking to produce morita is carried out mainly in Veracruz, Chihuahua and Puebla. It is a preservation technique of pre-Hispanic origin that continues today in traditional kitchens and small producing communities of central-northern Mexico.