Mexican Food Encyclopedia
Want to know the difference between a jalapeño and a habanero pepper? Or perhaps you’d just like to learn more about the spices, herbs and vegetales (that’s Spanish for "vegetables") behind the flavors of Mexico? It’s all right here in our Mexican Food Encyclopedia. Explore the origins and uses of the diverse ingredients found in traditional Mexican cuisine. Expand your culinary vocabulary. Develop a newfound appreciation of our menu. ¡Buen provecho!
Chiles
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FRESH CHILES
CHILACA Heat: 4-5
This long, narrow green chile is almost blackish-green in color. It is the fresh version of the pasilla chile and has a complex, fruity flavor.
HABANERO Heat: 10
These are Mexico’s hottest chiles. The delicate looking green, yellow and orange "lanterns" are prized by the Yucatecos for their hotter-than-heck fire. They range in crispness from green, the crispest, to orange, the softest. The special fruity flavor compliments fresh salsas made with tropical fruits.
JALAPEÑO Heat: 5-6
The name derives from Jalapa, Veracruz. These familiar peppers are cylindrical in shape and about 2 ½ inches long and 1 inch wide. Whether raw, dry or pickled, these shiny, dark green chiles are perfect for salsas and cooked sauces.
POBLANO Heat: 3
Like many chiles, poblanos are initially green and ripen to a dark red. They are large, roughly 3 1/2 inches long and 2 1/4 inches wide, and sometimes heart-shaped. Although not very hot, poblanos have a rich, earthy flavor that is intensified when the chiles are roasted and peeled. Often, stuffed chiles (chiles rellenos), rajas (toppings), sauces and soups draw flavor and spice from the poblano.
SERRANO Heat: 7-8
The serrano pepper is a very hot chile, falling between the jalapeño and the habenero. Used often in salsas and table sauces, the serrano is easy to work with because of its thin skin.
DRIED CHILES
These chiles ripen on the plant and then either dry in the sun, or ferment slightly under sacking before they dry in ovens. Chiles for moles and adobos are roasted and soaked in hot water, but dried chiles should never be peeled after soaking.
ANCHO Heat: 3
The most abundant dried chile in Mexico, the ancho is a dried red poblano with a fruity, slightly sharp flavor. When rehydrated, anchos make great stuffed chiles (chiles rellenos), but should not be peeled first.
CASCABEL Heat: 4
The word means “rattle,” referring to the distinctive noise this chile makes when you shake it. It is small and round with a smooth, almost polished red surface. It is pleasantly hot and spices up many table sauces.
CHILE DE ÁRBOL Heat: 7-8
This dried chile is smooth, thin, long and bright red in color. It has a sharp hot flavor that is often featured in hot table sauces. When ground into a powder form, the chile de árbol doubles as a spicy condiment.
CHIPOTLE Heat: 5-6
The chipotle is a large, dried, smoked jalapeño, also known as a chile ahumado or a chile meco. It is coffee brown in color, veined and ridged, measuring about 2 to 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. The flesh is a medium thickness with a smoky flavor and subtle, deep, rounded heat. As much as one-fifth of the Mexican jalapeño crop is processed as chipotles. Used mainly in soups, salsas, and sauces, chipotles are a staple of Mexican and Southwestern cooking. They are also available canned in a red adobo sauce.
GUAJILLO Heat: 3
The word literally means “big pod.” The burgundy chile is elongated and triangular in shape. It is one of the most frequently used chiles in Mexico, with a crisp, sharp flavor that ranges from fairly hot to hot.
MULATO Heat: 2
This chile’s name refers to its dark color. While these chiles begin a dark green color, they are most valuable (and most flavorful) when fully ripened to a rich brown. Mulatos range from mild to fairly hot. The sweetish taste and color are perfect for mole poblano.
PASILLA Heat: 3
A long, narrow chile, the pasilla is blunt or slightly pointed at the end. It has a shiny black skin and grows to about 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Pasillas’ sharp, rich flavor is excellent for soups, as well as moles and adobos.
PASILLA DE OAXACA Heat: 8
This unique and delicious chile is grown in isolated valleys of Oaxaca, and only in small quantities. It ripens on the plant and is smoked under rustic conditions. The skin is wrinkled, but shiny, and the chile is very hot.
Herbs
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EPAZOTE
Packed with hard-hitting flavors, this cooking herb is not usually eaten raw. The name comes from the Nahuatl words “epatzotl” (skunk) and “tzotl” (dirty). The resinous, fragrant herb has serrated, tapering leaves and grows wild in many parts of Mexico and the United States, particularly California. Considered indispensable in cooking black beans, epazote is also unsurpassed in quesadillas and many mushroom dishes. Epazote is better fresh; the essential oils that make it so pungent are lost when the herb is dried. Cooking with the dry herb is only considered acceptable during winters in cold climates.
HOJA DE AGUACATE (avocado leaf)
Both fresh and dried avocado leaves, with their licorice-like aroma, season mixiote, soups, beans, chicken and fish dishes. They serve as an acceptable substitute for hoja santa in green moles.
HIERBA SANTA or hoja santa (holy leaf)
Abundant in the south-central region of Mexico, the palm-sized, velvety leaves of this anise-scented, bushy perennial make fragrant wrappers for grilled or steamed fish dishes. It is featured in the pescado en hoja santa from Veracruz, where it is known as acuyo. It also flavors green moles, chicken and shrimp dishes, and is a tamale wrapping.
CILANTRO (coriander)
Cilantro is an important aromatic herb in Mexican cuisine. Spaniards introduced cilantro, a native of the old world, in the colonial period. The fresh herb flavors salsas, green moles and salads, and is also sprinkled on top of many dishes.
HIERBA BUENA (spearmint)
This aromatic herb seasons meat stews, cooked sauces and soups, most notably caldo de pollo, to which it adds a truly exquisite touch. The leaves garnish and lightly flavor cold drinks and make a tea that is considered a digestive and a home remedy for gastritis.
MENTA (peppermint)
Although it is a different variety of mint, peppermint is interchangeable with spearmint in Mexico. See hierba buena above.
LAUREL (bay leaf, bay laurel)
Mexican bay laurel, grown in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Michoacan, has thinner leaves and a milder flavor than its European counterpart. The difference is slight enough that the two are interchangeable. Laurel accents Mexican soups, stews and marinades.
AZAFRÁN (Mexican safflower)
Mexican saffron is much milder than the Spanish variety, and added for its color rather than a strong flavor. It primarily tints chicken and seafood dishes, especially in combination with rice.
OREGANO
Native to the Mediterranean, oregano is always a dry herb. This aromatic leaf seasons caldos, rice, escabeche, meats and stews.
ROMERO (rosemary)
Used as a seasoning, but most often as a tea, rosemary is a home remedy for stomach ulcers and inflammations of the appendix and gall bladder.
TOMILLO (thyme)
This aromatic herb, a warm-weather perennial, is one of the classic hierbas de olor - fragrant seasoning herbs – that accents traditional Mexican cooking. It lends flavor to a wide variety of dishes, from sauces to marinades.
PEREJIL (parsley)
A self-seeding biennial, Mexican flat-leaved parsley is typically a final touch when cooking stews, soups and green moles.
CORTEZA de maguey or mixiote
This outermost layer of the maguey leaf, called a penca, is similar to parchment paper in thickness and consistency. It serves as a cooking bag for meat and poultry; these bundles are also called mixiotes.
HOJA DE MAÍZ (corn husk)
Used both fresh and dried, corn husks most frequently serve as tamale wrappings. They are also perfect wraps for foods to be cooked on a grill.
HOJA DE PLÁTANO (banana leaf)
In the warmer states in Mexico, such as Veracruz and Campeche, banana leaves are tamale wrappers. Many meat and poultry dishes, including the Yucatan's cochinita pibil, are enclosed in banana leaves before cooking. The leaves are sold in Latin markets north of the border and are becoming more widely available in supermarkets in large cities.
Vegetales (Vegetables)
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AGUACATE (avocado)
A native to Mexico and Central America, this fleshy vegetable is rich in vitamins A, B and E and contains no saturated oil. We use Hass avocados from California and Michoacan (Mexico).
CAMOTE (sweet potato)
The sweet potato has the advantage of flourishing in poor soil with little water. Camotes are a native crop of Mexico and are more nutritious than white potatoes.
CHAYOTE
The chayote is a Mexican squash with a swollen, bulbous appearance. Many varieties of these vine vegetables grow in Mexico. They have a crisp, slightly starchy consistency and a delicate, potato-like flavor. Chayote is used in soups and salads and is sometimes stuffed.
HUITLACOCHE
This is a fungus that grows on corn. Each kernel is encased in a silvery-gray skin with black, fibrous flesh within. It grows during the rainy seasons and is used in crepes, soups, quesadillas and sauces.
JÍCAMA
This vegetable’s name derives from the Nahuatl “xicamatl,” and it is native to Mexico. The bulbous root tastes best raw and young; as it matures, the flesh becomes starchier.
JITOMATE (tomato)
Table sauces, salads, moles and stews often feature either raw or cooked tomato.
TOMATILLO
These are smaller than tomatoes and wrapped in a papery husk. The surface is shiny and bright green. Their zesty flavor and sour/sweet fruit finish are found both raw and cooked in salsas, moles and stews.
PLÁTANO (plantain)
Plantains are larger than bananas, triangular in form and pointed at the tip. They are often fried (sweet or yellow plantains) or baked (green plantains) and are also a great addition to moles.
AMARANTO (amaranth)
The seeds of the amaranth plant are included in the popular candy alegría, blended juice drinks and other health-food menu items. In the state of Tlaxcala, where it grows in abundance, it is found in the delicious mole de amaranto.
BERROS (watercress)
Popular in salads and soups, berros, in a liquid form, is also a home remedy for renal and pulmonary problems in the northern and central regions of Mexico.
VERDOLAGA (purslane)
Traditional Mexican pork stew, espinazo con verdolagas, would not be the same without this succulent annual. Verdolaga is also delicious raw in salads and steamed for moles.
Spices
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Spices have flavored and colored Mexican cuisine since pre-Columbian times. The earliest were the seeds of achiote, allspice, chiles and the vanilla orchid, all natives of Mexico. After the Spanish invasion, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper came to Mexico through the voyages of the Nao de China, which traveled between the Philippines and the Pacific port of Acapulco. Coriander, saffron and cumin were introduced from the Mediterranean.
ACHIOTE
The annatto seed is used in certain regional dishes in southern Mexico. The small tree produces a brown, rough-skinned, oval husk that has very small seeds covered with a layer of matte red pigment. Recado rojo, a reddish seasoning paste, comes from grinding the whole achiote seed with other spices.
ALLSPICE
The allspice berry comes from a graceful tree in the Myrtle family (native to Mexico) that has highly aromatic, elongated leaves. The berries are picked and dried once they are mature.
ANISEED
The seed of the anise plant flavors some moles, desserts, syrups, cakes and regional Mexican liqueurs.
CANELA (cinnamon)
The bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka and India, cinnamon flavors cooked fruits and dessert syrups as well as café de olla. Small quantities season meats, stews and moles nicely.
CLAVOS (cloves)
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree native to the Molucca Islands. Ground cloves and a mixture of other spices are delicious in cooked sauces and seasoning pastes or adobos.
AJONJOLÍ (sesame)
Sesame seeds are indispensable in many moles and are the traditional mole poblano garnish. They also top sandwich rolls called cemitas and a variety of other baked goods. The leaves are a flavoring ingredient in some blended teas.
COMINOS (cumin)
These flavorful and highly aromatic seeds, whole or ground, flavor a wide variety of Mexican meat stews and soups. This annual, which grows to about a foot tall, needs warm, moist growing conditions.
* Photo excerpted from ROSA'S NEW MEXICAN TABLE (Artisan Books).
Copyright 2007. Christopher Hirsheimer photographer.