Chile xcatic: the Yucatecan guero

What is it?

Chile xcatic, also spelled x-catic or ixcatic, is a regional fresh chilli of the Yucatan Peninsula. Its name comes from the Yucatec Maya 'x-katik', which means 'blond' or 'guero'. It is elongated and slim (8-12 cm), with smooth glossy skin, pale yellow or creamy light green when harvested young, ripening to intense orange-red. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum and is the Peninsular version of chile guero. Its heat is low (500-2,500 Scoville units), one of the mildest fresh chillies of Mexico. It brings a vegetal, slightly sweet, herbal and very delicate flavour. It is used in pescado tikin xic, Yucatecan pickles, escabeches, panuchos, papadzules and Peninsular stews where it brings yellow colour and a very mild heat that does not overshadow other flavours.

Origin and history

Chile xcatic is a Mesoamerican chilli grown by the Yucatec Maya since pre-Hispanic times. Its Maya name 'x-katik' (blond or guero) describes its light colour, and it has been kept as one of the defining chillies of Peninsular Maya cooking. Colonial sources and nineteenth-century Yucatecan cookbooks mention it as an everyday ingredient. Larousse Cocina and Ricardo Munoz Zurita's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy 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 in small family plots of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo, where it is an everyday chilli for Maya cooks. It forms part of the Peninsular Maya culinary repertoire alongside habanero, achiote, sour orange, chaya and pumpkin seed, ingredients that define the gastronomic identity of south-eastern Mexico.

Characteristic ingredients

Xcatic is a Capsicum annuum grown in small family plots of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Its fruits measure 8-12 cm, are elongated and slim, with smooth glossy skin, pale yellow or light green when harvested young, and red-orange when fully ripe. Its flesh is fleshy and juicy, with very low heat (500-2,500 SHU), one of the mildest fresh chillies of Mexico. It brings a slightly sweet, herbal, very delicate vegetal flavour that adds colour and gentle heat without overshadowing other flavours. To use it, roast whole on a comal or over a flame until the skin turns translucent, then peel and devein. It is also used raw whole or sliced. It is an essential ingredient of pescado tikin xic (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 stews such as Yucatecan frijol con puerco.

Cultural significance

Chile xcatic is a defining ingredient of Maya Yucatecan 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 pescado tikin xic, queso relleno, panuchos and frijol con puerco. Its production and consumption are concentrated in Yucatan, 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 Merida (Lucas de Galvez, San Benito), Campeche and Cancun it is sold fresh and loose all year round. In contemporary cooking, Yucatecan chefs such as Roberto Solis, Pedro Evia and David Cetina have taken it to international fine dining. It is the perfect complementary chilli to habanero: when yellow colour and gentle heat are wanted, xcatic is used; when extreme heat is wanted, habanero. The two define the visual and aromatic character of Peninsular Maya cooking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chile xcatic and chile habanero?

They are completely different chillies despite sharing yellow colours. Xcatic is Capsicum annuum, elongated (8-12 cm), with very low heat (500-2,500 SHU) and a mild vegetal flavour. Habanero is Capsicum chinense, lantern-shaped (3-6 cm), extremely hot (100,000-350,000 SHU) and with a fruity aroma. They are used together in many Yucatecan recipes: xcatic brings colour and gentleness, habanero brings the characteristic heat.

What does chile xcatic taste like?

It brings a slightly sweet, herbal and very delicate vegetal flavour with very low heat (500-2,500 Scoville units), one of the mildest fresh chillies of Mexico. When roasted on the comal it develops gentle caramelised sweet notes. Its gentle flavour makes it ideal for delicate dishes such as fish, where it brings yellow colour and a touch of heat without overshadowing other flavours.

What is chile xcatic used for?

It is an essential ingredient of pescado tikin xic (Yucatecan fish with achiote and sour orange), where it is placed whole on top of the fish during cooking. It is also used in pickles with red onion, papadzules, panuchos, salbutes, queso relleno, Yucatecan frijol con puerco and many Peninsular stews. It is usually complemented with habanero to bring the characteristic heat of Yucatecan cooking.

Where does chile xcatic come from?

It is native to the Yucatan Peninsula, traditionally grown by the Maya peoples since pre-Hispanic times in Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Its Yucatec Maya name 'x-katik' means 'blond'. SADER recognises it as a regional fresh chilli and CONABIO includes it in the heritage of native Mexican chillies. It is a defining chilli of Peninsular Maya cooking alongside habanero, achiote and sour orange.