Pasilla - flavorful and mildly hot

Common Name and Species

Pasilla - Chilaca.  Pasilla is the dried form of the Chilaca chile pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum.

Pasilla is a very flavorful spice with berry-raisin-cocoa overtones

Origin and History

Pasilla - Chilaca is a common Mesoamerican cultivar. Capsicum annuum arose in the area around Peru / Northwest Amazonia. Original cultivation of the cultivar Pasilla - Chilaca was in Mesoamerica possibly going back several thousand years.

Description

Chilacas - Pasillas are long, tapered and wrinkly with a pronounced tip. Chilacas - Pasillas range from is six to 12 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inches wide. Chilacas - Pasillas when immature are dark green. At maturity Chilacas - Pasillas turn a dark black. Pasillas have an SHU of 1,000 to 1,500.

Pasillas are aromatic with overtones of
• berries,
• raisins,
• licorice, and
• cocoa.

Commercial cultivation - Zones and Regions

Chilacas - Pasillas are cultivated in Mexico and the American Southwest.

How Used or Sample Recipe

Pasilla - Chilaca are mostly dried or dried and pulverized. Pasilla is obligatory for mole, but is used extensively in other spice mixes (as in chile powder).

Pasilla is a very flavorful spice with berry-raisin-cocoa overtones.  You can substitute pasilla for paprika to give a dish a South-of-the-Border tang.

Additional Resources

For additional information
• about pasilla chile peppers including medicinal uses and a list of reference materials
• about chile peppers in the kitchen
• Check it all out in Chile Pepper Magazine.