Xcatic chilli: what it is, taste, heat and substitutes

What is it?

The xcatic chilli, also written x-catic or ixcatic, is a regional fresh chilli of the Yucatán Peninsula. Its name comes from the Yucatec Maya 'x-katik', which means 'blond' or 'fair'. It is elongated and slender (8-12 cm), with smooth shiny skin, a pale yellow or creamy pale-green colour when harvested young, and ripens to an intense orange-red. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum and is the peninsular version of the güero chilli. Its heat is low (500-2,500 Scoville units), one of the mildest fresh chillies of Mexico. It contributes a vegetal, slightly sweet, herbal and very delicate flavour. It is used in tikin xic fish, Yucatecan pickles, escabeches, panuchos, papadzules and peninsular dishes where it provides a yellow colour and a very mild heat that does not overpower other flavours.

Origin and history

The xcatic chilli is a Mesoamerican chilli grown by the Yucatec Maya since pre-Hispanic times. Its Maya name 'x-katik' (blond or fair) describes its light colour, and it has remained one of the identity-bearing chillies of peninsular Maya cuisine. The colonial sources and the 19th-century Yucatecan recipe books mention it as an everyday ingredient. Larousse Cocina and Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Diccionario Enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana identify it as a regional Yucatecan chilli. SADER recognises it as a regional fresh chilli of the peninsula. CONABIO includes it within the heritage of native Mexican chillies. Its production is concentrated on small family plots of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo, where it is an everyday chilli for Maya cooks. It forms part of the peninsular Maya culinary repertoire alongside the habanero, achiote, sour orange, chaya and pumpkin seed, ingredients that define the gastronomic identity of south-east Mexico.

Characteristic ingredients

The xcatic is a Capsicum annuum grown on small family plots of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Its fruits measure 8-12 cm, are elongated and slender, with smooth, shiny skin, a pale yellow or pale-green colour when harvested young, and red-orange when fully ripe. Its pulp is fleshy and juicy, with a very low heat (500-2,500 SHU), one of the mildest fresh chillies of Mexico. It contributes a slightly sweet and herbal vegetal flavour, very delicate, providing colour and mild heat without overpowering other flavours. To use it, it is roasted whole on the comal or over the flame until the skin becomes translucent, then peeled and deveined. It is also used raw, whole or cut. It is an essential ingredient of tikin xic fish (Yucatecan fish with achiote and sour orange), where it is placed whole on top during cooking. It is also prepared pickled with red onion in escabeche, added to papadzules, panuchos, salbutes and dishes such as Yucatecan frijol con puerco.

Cultural significance

The xcatic chilli is an identity-bearing ingredient of Yucatecan Maya cuisine, recognised as part of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010. It is essential in emblematic dishes such as tikin xic fish, queso relleno, panuchos and frijol con puerco. Its production and consumption are concentrated in Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo, where it sustains the economy of small Maya family plots. SADER and CONABIO recognise it as a regional chilli with cultural value. In the markets of Mérida (Lucas de Gálvez, San Benito), Campeche and Cancún it is sold fresh and loose all year round. In contemporary cooking, Yucatecan chefs such as Roberto Solís, Pedro Evia and David Cetina have taken it into international fine dining. It is the perfect complement to the habanero: when a yellow colour and gentle heat are wanted, xcatic is used; when extreme heat is wanted, habanero. Both define the visual and aromatic character of peninsular Maya cuisine.

Frequently asked questions