Oaxacan pasilla: what it is, heat and uses in mole

What is it?

The Oaxacan pasilla chilli, also called pasilla mixe, is a smoked chilli endemic to the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, grown by the Mixe communities at altitudes above 1,500 metres. It is completely different from the common pasilla chilli (the dried chilaca of the Bajío): it is a regional variety of Capsicum annuum whose fruits are smoked after harvest in rudimentary wood-fired ovens. It measures between 5 and 8 cm, has an elongated, wrinkled shape, and a dark brown almost black colour. Its heat is moderate-high (8,000-15,000 Scoville units), considerably higher than the common pasilla (1,000-2,500 SHU). It contributes a deep smoky flavour with notes of cacao, coffee, dried fruit and a woodsmoke hint. It is an essential ingredient of Oaxacan mole negro, Oaxacan pasilla salsa, memelas and tlayudas.

Origin and history

The Oaxacan pasilla chilli is a chilli endemic to the Sierra Mixe of Oaxaca, traditionally grown by the indigenous Mixe communities in municipalities such as San Pedro and San Pablo Ayutla, Totontepec and Santa María Tlahuitoltepec. Its name shares a root with the common pasilla but the chilli itself is distinct: a regional variety of Capsicum annuum whose characteristic process is smoking after harvest, in wood-fired huts over several days. Larousse Cocina and the Diccionario Enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana identify it as a regional chilli with its own identity, essential in Oaxacan cuisine. CONABIO documents the Oaxacan pasilla as a variety endemic to the Mixe, at risk from the pressure of industrial chillies. SADER recognises it as a regional Oaxacan chilli with potential for a designation of origin. It forms part of the repertoire of essential Oaxacan chillies alongside the chilhuacle and the chilcostle, all represented in traditional cuisine recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Characteristic ingredients

The Oaxacan pasilla chilli is a Capsicum annuum grown at high altitude in the Sierra Mixe of Oaxaca. Its fruits are harvested ripe and red and undergo a slow smoking of several days in rudimentary ovens of local wood, generally oak and madrone. This process gives it a dark brown almost black colour, wrinkled skin and an intense smoky aroma. It measures between 5 and 8 cm. It should not be confused with the common pasilla (the sun-dried chilaca of the Bajío): the Oaxacan one is smaller, smoked rather than sun-dried, spicier (8,000-15,000 SHU) and with a very distinct aromatic profile, with notes of cacao, coffee, dried fruit and woodsmoke. To use it, it is deveined, deseeded, toasted briefly on a comal (with care due to its dark colour) and rehydrated in hot water. It is then blended with tomato, chilhuacle and other ingredients for mole negro, or with garlic and salt for the Oaxacan pasilla salsa that accompanies tlayudas and memelas.

Cultural significance

The Oaxacan pasilla chilli is one of the most identity-bearing regional chillies of Oaxacan cuisine, recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2010. It is an essential ingredient of Oaxacan mole negro alongside the chilhuacle, and the absolute protagonist of Oaxacan pasilla salsa, which accompanies tlayudas, memelas, grasshopper tacos and many antojitos. Its cultivation and smoking is concentrated exclusively in Mixe municipalities of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, where it sustains the economy of small indigenous producers. SADER, CONABIO and organisations such as Slow Food drive projects to conserve its seed and its traditional smoking process. Traditional cooks such as Abigail Mendoza (Tlamanalli, Teotitlán del Valle) and chefs such as Olga Cabrera and Alejandro Ruiz preserve it in their offerings. Its price in markets such as the Central de Abastos of Oaxaca can be several times that of the common pasilla, reflecting its limited production and cultural value.

Frequently asked questions