Pasilla Explained

Pasilla
Species:	Capsicum annuum
Module:	Embed: yes Heat: Low Scoville: 1,000–3,999

The pasilla chile or chile negro is the dried form of the chilaca chili pepper,^[1] a long and narrow member of the species Capsicum annuum. Named for its dark, wrinkled skin (literally "little raisin"),^[2] it is a mild to hot, rich-flavored chile. As dried, it is generally 6to long and 1inchestoNaNinchesin (toin) in diameter.

The fresh narrow chilaca can measure up to long and often has a twisted shape, which is seldom apparent after drying. It turns from dark green to dark brown when fully mature.^[3]

In the United States, producers and grocers sometimes incorrectly use "pasilla" to describe the poblano, a different, wider variety of pepper, the dried form of which is called an ancho.^{[4] [5]}

Use

Pasilla are used especially in sauces. They are often combined with fruits and are excellent served with duck, seafood, lamb, mushrooms, garlic, fennel, honey, or oregano. They are sold whole or powdered in Mexico, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Pasilla de Oaxaca is a variety of smoked pasilla chile from Oaxaca used in mole negro.^[6]

See also

• Chipotle - The smoked and dried form of the jalapeño chili pepper.
• Guajillo - The dried form of the mirasol chili pepper.
• List of Capsicum cultivars

Further reading

• Kennedy, Diana. The Cuisines of Mexico (revised edition) New York: Harper & Row, 1986.
• Kennedy, Diana. From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2003.
• McMahan, Jacqueline Higuera. Red & Green Chile Cookbook. Lake Hughes, CA: The Olive Press, 1992.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jean Andrews. Peppers: the domesticated Capsicums. 9 March 2010. January 1995. University of Texas Press. 978-0-292-70467-1. 111.
2. Rombauer, I, et al. (1997). The Joy of Cooking, pp. 399–402, New York: Scribner.
3. Book: Andrews, Jean . The peppers cookbook: 200 recipes from the pepper lady's kitchen . University of North Texas Press . Denton, Tex . 2005 . 16 . 1-57441-193-4 . 2012-10-08.
4. Web site: Pasilla vs. Poblano . https://web.archive.org/web/20101124000422/http://fiery-foods.com/ask-dave-faq/118-chile-varieties/1534-AskDave . 2010-11-24 . Fiery-Foods.com .
5. Web site: Pepper, chili . CHOW . CBS Interactive .
6. Book: DeWitt, Dave . Evans, Chuck . The Pepper Pantry: Chipotle . Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press . Berkeley, CA . 1997 . 9780307824363 . 2012-10-08 . Pasilla de Oaxaca: a variety of pasilla chile that is smoked in Oaxaca and is used in the famous mole negro..