Chipotle

A chipotle (, ; ), or ''chilpotle'', is a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño chili pepper used for seasoning. It is a chili used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Tex-Mex and Southwestern United States dishes. It comes in different forms, such as ''chipotles en adobo'' (stewed in adobo sauce).

Production

Jalapeño pepper (''Capsicum annuum'') is one of the most typical ingredients of Mexican cuisine. This chili pepper is consumed at the rate of 7–9 kg per year, per capita. It is mostly consumed fresh but in different forms, such as pickled, dried, and smoked. Jalapeño varieties differ in size and heat. Typically, a grower passes through a jalapeño field, picking the unripe, green jalapeños for the market. Jalapeños are green for most of the season, but in the fall, which is the end of the growing season, they naturally ripen and turn bright red. In Mexico and the United States, there is a growing market for ripe red jalapeños (the last stage of maturation). They are kept on the bush as long as possible. When they are deep red and have lost much of their moisture, they are picked to be made into chipotles.

Smoking is a common technique of food preservation that provides a distinctive aroma and flavor and is traditionally carried out in a field open-oven. The smoking process can affect structural, chemical and nutritional properties of food. Furthermore, the type of wood used in the smoking process impacts the resulting smoked food. The smoking of jalapeños dates back centuries and was mainly used by the Aztecs, who are thought to have preserved the chilis by smoking them, a process they also used on meats. Chipotle production involves using firewood to dry and smoke the red jalapeño for six days in an open-smoker installation. The temperature is maintained between 65 and 75 °C, using mainly pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') firewood.

Traditionally, the peppers are moved to a closed smoking chamber and spread on metal grills, but in recent years producers have begun using large gas dryers. Wood is put in a firebox, and the smoke enters the sealed chamber. Every few hours, the jalapeños are stirred to mix in the smoke. They are smoked for several days until most of the moisture is removed. The moisture within the red jalapeño peppers slightly decreases from 88% to 81% during the first three days, but by the end of the drying process, the moisture level reaches a final value of 6%. In the end, the chipotles are dried and shriveled like prunes or raisins. The underlying heat of the jalapeños combines with the taste of smoke, forming a flavor distinctive to chipotle peppers. Typically, ten pounds of jalapeños make one pound of chipotles after thoroughly drying. In recent years, some commercial producers have begun using large gas dryers and artificial smoke flavoring, which expedites the drying process but produces a less flavorful chipotle.

Other chilis can be smoked and dried for chipotle pepper, such as the bell or serrano variety, but smoked red jalapeños are most commonly used.

History and etymology

The technique of smoke-drying jalapeños can be traced back to the early food preservation practices used in Mesoamerica, even before the Aztecs.
The name comes from the Nahuatl word (), meaning 'smoked chili'.Francisco J. Santamaría, ''Diccionario de mejicanismos'' (Mexico: Editorial Puzo, 1978), p. 388.
This form of chili was most likely encountered by Christopher Columbus on his trip to the New World and brought back to Spain, where it later spread to Europe, India, and beyond. Their self-preserving composition would have enabled them to survive the long journey across several oceans.

Varieties

In today's society, chipotles are predominantly sourced from Mexico, where they produce two different varieties of the spice: ''morita'', which is most commonly found in the United States, and the larger ''meco'', which is mainly used domestically. ''Morita'' means "small mulberry" in Spanish and is grown primarily in the Chihuahua State; it is typically darker in color with a reddish-purple exterior. They are smoked for less time and, in many cultures, considered inferior to the meco. The meco, also known as chili ahumado or típico, is grayish tan with a dusty-looking surface; some say it resembles a cigar butt. This pepper variation tends to be smokier in taste and is the preferred chipotle of many natives. They are sometimes referred to as chili navideño because they are reconstituted and stuffed to make a traditional dish that is most popular at Christmas time among Mexican locals.

Most chipotle meco never make it across the Mexican border, although they can occasionally be found for sale in Mexican specialty markets.

Chipotle grande is a smoke-dried Huachinango chili with a similar flavor profile; however, the chili is larger and higher in cost. Sold fresh at the market, this variation of the chipotle pepper will typically sell for three to four times as much as jalapeño.

Many pair this spice with annatto, cumin

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