Chilhuacle amarillo: the golden chilli of Oaxaca

What is it?

Chilhuacle amarillo is one of the three chilhuacles endemic to the Canada de Cuicatlan, in northern Oaxaca, alongside the red and the black. It is a rare chilli highly prized by traditional Oaxacan cooking. It has a lantern shape, measures between 5 and 8 cm, with wrinkled skin and a glossy golden or amber yellow colour. It belongs to the species Capsicum annuum. Its Nahuatl name means 'old yellow chilli'. Its heat is low (1,000-2,500 Scoville units), among the mildest of dried Oaxacan chillies. It brings a citrusy, fruity flavour with a herbal hint and notes of tropical dried fruit. It is a key ingredient of Oaxacan mole amarillo and of chichilo, two of the seven traditional moles of Oaxaca. Its limited production makes it a chilli of high economic and cultural value at risk of genetic erosion.

Origin and history

Chilhuacle amarillo, along with the red and the black, is one of the oldest chillies cultivated in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley, a semi-arid microregion of northern Oaxaca with human presence going back more than 7,000 years, considered the cradle of the domestication of maize and several Mesoamerican chillies. The Cuicatec and Mazatec peoples have grown it for centuries. Larousse Cocina and Ricardo Munoz Zurita's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy identify it as an essential ingredient of Oaxacan mole amarillo, alongside costeño amarillo. CONABIO documents that the three varieties of chilhuacle are at risk of genetic erosion: their production fell drastically in the twentieth century and is only kept going thanks to community efforts, INIFAP and SADER programmes, and Oaxacan chefs and traditional cooks who pay premium prices to preserve its cultivation. The Slow Food organisation has included chilhuacle in its Ark of Taste as a product at risk.

Characteristic ingredients

Chilhuacle amarillo is a Capsicum annuum endemic to the Canada de Cuicatlan. Its plant is demanding and produces few fruits per season. The chillies are harvested when fully ripe yellow and sun-dried for several days until they reach a glossy golden or amber yellow colour. The skin becomes wrinkled and its shape recalls a small lantern or pepper (5-8 cm), similar to its red and black relatives. Its heat is low (1,000-2,500 SHU), among the mildest of dried Oaxacan chillies. It brings a distinctive citrusy flavour with notes of tropical dried fruit (dried mango, papaya), a herbal hint and a touch of sweetness. To use it, devein and deseed it, briefly toast on a comal and rehydrate in hot water for about 15 minutes. Then blend with tomatillo, maize dough, costeño amarillo, hoja santa and cumin to prepare mole amarillo, or with chilhuacle negro and charcoal for chichilo. Its intense yellow colour is the visual signature of traditional mole amarillo.

Cultural significance

Chilhuacle amarillo is a defining ingredient of mole amarillo, one of the seven traditional moles of Oaxaca, an emblematic dish served at weddings, religious festivities and important family celebrations. It forms part of traditional Oaxacan cuisine recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2010. Its cultivation is concentrated exclusively in municipalities of the Canada de Cuicatlan such as San Juan Bautista Cuicatlan, where it sustains the economy of small Cuicatec producers. SADER, INIFAP, CONABIO and Slow Food run conservation and fair-trade projects for chilhuacle, sounding the alarm about the risk of genetic erosion. Oaxacan chefs and cooks such as Abigail Mendoza, Celia Florian and Alejandro Ruiz keep it in their traditional and contemporary menus. Its price in Oaxacan markets such as the Central de Abastos and 20 de Noviembre is several times that of industrial chillies, making it a premium product reserved for festive dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chilhuacle amarillo and costeño amarillo?

Both are dried yellow Oaxacan chillies but they come from different varieties and regions. Chilhuacle amarillo has a lantern shape, is low in heat (1,000-2,500 SHU) and is grown in the Canada de Cuicatlan. Costeño amarillo is elongated and pointed, hotter (10,000-20,000 SHU) and grown on the Costa Chica. The two are combined in mole amarillo: chilhuacle brings body and sweetness, costeño brings heat.

What does chilhuacle amarillo taste like?

It brings a citrusy, fruity flavour with notes of tropical dried fruit (dried mango, papaya), a herbal hint and a touch of sweetness. Its heat is low (1,000-2,500 Scoville units), one of the mildest dried chillies of Oaxaca. When briefly toasted it develops aromas of cooked fruit and honey that enrich mole amarillo and citrusy broths.

What is chilhuacle amarillo used for?

It is an essential ingredient of Oaxacan mole amarillo, one of the seven traditional moles, where it is combined with costeño amarillo, tomatillo, maize dough, hoja santa and cumin. It is also used in chichilo (a dark mole with charcoal), in traditional stews and in some yellow salsas. Its golden colour visually defines mole amarillo, which is traditionally served with chicken, beef or pork and chochoyotes.

Where does chilhuacle amarillo come from?

It is endemic to the Canada de Cuicatlan, in northern Oaxaca. It is grown exclusively in municipalities such as San Juan Bautista Cuicatlan. The Cuicatec and Mazatec peoples have grown it for centuries as part of their traditional milpa. CONABIO recognises it as an endemic Mexican chilli at risk of genetic erosion, and, together with SADER, INIFAP and Slow Food, runs programmes to conserve its traditional seeds.