Ancho pepper

History of ancho peppers :

One of the world's most popular dried chili varieties, the ancho originates from the Puebla Valley, just southeast of Mexico City. It was used as a main ingredient in Mexican and South American cuisine long before the Spanish conquest, and continues to thrive. Along with mulato and pasilla chillies (the former is also a poblano, picked and dried at another time), they form what is considered the holy trinity of chillies, which are essential to traditional mole (traditional sauces). Anchos are often roasted and ground to add a little extra heat to sauces, or rehydrated and stuffed. You'll often find them on the ingredient list for enchiladas, salsa and tamales.

Harvesting Ancho peppers:

The chillies we know as poblano peppers are fresh chillies that are harvested before they ripen, which is why they are green. That's what chile relleno is made with. But when left to ripen, poblanos turn red and develop an extra sweetness, balancing out their already mild strength for a chili pepper. Thus, anchos are red while poblanos are green. These 8-15cm-long fruits thrive in Mexico's hot summer temperatures, and are harvested late in the season by cutting them off the stem. They are traditionally exposed to the sun on mats, allowing air to flow underneath as they dry for a few weeks.

The word ancho means "wide", while poblano refers to the state of Puebla in central Mexico, where peppers originate.

What to do with Ancho peppers

Ancho chillies can be reconstituted by soaking in lukewarm water, or they can be ground dry and added to a recipe.

Drying chillies does not affect their taste. In other words, crumbled chillies will give you a more localized spiciness, whereas pureed chillies will be more evenly distributed.

Ancho peppers have a dark red to brown color and a wrinkled skin. Mild and smoky with a flavor slightly reminiscent of raisins, their strength is rather mild. You can also use a spice grinder to grind ancho chillies to a powder.

Try ancho peppers infused in heavy cream, and your steamed potatoes won't taste the same!

Ancho peppers have a potency of between 2000 and 3000 Scoville units, which means they are quite mild.