Know Your Peppers

Published on Tuesday, August 11, 2009, by Roxanne Webber / Edit Post

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Chile peppers are thought to have originated in South America, but they have been cultivated all over the world for centuries, resulting in a wide variety of species with different colors, shapes, flavors, and, of course, spiciness. We consulted pepper expert and grower David Winsberg from Northern California’s Happy Quail Farms to put together a chart of some common peppers as well as a few less common varieties that are now becoming available in the United States thanks to specialty growers like Winsberg. Average size and hotness scale (from 1 to 5) included.

Poblano

(a.k.a. Ancho)

A good, easy-to-find grilling pepper that’s ideal for stuffing to make chiles rellenos with a kick of heat. Poblanos get fairly big and are usually sold fresh, while they are younger and dark green. At their red, mature stage they are usually dried (and in their dried form they are called ancho chiles). Their skin is easy to blister and peel. Winsberg says they have a good flavor, “with enough heat to be zesty but not scorch anyone.”

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 4 to 5 inches long
SPICINESS: 2 to 3

Guindilla Verde

From the Basque area in Spain, this is a tender pepper with a distinct sweetness. The variety shown is from the Bilbao region, and Winsberg says it’s a good fryer served alongside meat like lamb or pork. It shouldn’t be confused with the more widely available jarred guindillas. Winsberg says guindilla is a name applied to several distinct regional varieties in Spain ranging from marble-size scorchers to these sweet large fryers, which he says are similar in flavor to a Hatch chile but without the heat.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 6 inches long
SPICINESS: 1

Chilaca

(a.k.a. Pasilla)

This is a Mexican variety that matures from dark green to dark chocolate brown. It’s a versatile pepper that’s good for sauces, roasting, and grilling when fresh, says Winsberg. Chilacas are medium hot but “not so much that they are scary.” Dried they are called pasillas and are common in mole recipes; pasillas (also known as chiles negros) are available both whole and powdered.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 7 to 9 inches long
SPICINESS: 2 to 3

Basque Fryer

(a.k.a. Piment d’Anglet, Doux Long des Landes)

A French pepper used in many French Basque recipes. It is a twisty, long pepper that when green has a “very distinct peppery taste with a very tender skin, and lend[s] a nice chile zest without adding heat,” says Winsberg. When it turns red, it gets very sweet. It excels in sauces, chopped up and sautéed for a pipérade (the Basque fryer would replace the bell peppers in our recipe), or fried with meats or sausage.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 6 inches long
SPICINESS: 1

Anaheim

Named after the city in Southern California, the Anaheim is a big, mild chile that’s good for stuffing. Its skin is a little tough, but it peels pretty easily if you roast it first. Anaheims are good roasted, cut into strips, and thrown into a salad; stuffed with meat and grilled; used in salsa verde; or added to cheese enchiladas.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 5 to 6 inches long
SPICINESS: 1

Cayenne

This bright red pepper is usually consumed in its dried, powdered form, known as cayenne pepper. When ripe and fresh, cayenne chiles are long, skinny, and very hot. Winsberg says they are relatives of wild chiles from South and Central America.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 2 to 6 inches long
SPICINESS: 4 to 5

Guernica

The Guernica is a Spanish pepper similar to the Padrón in flavor but bigger and without any heat, says Winsberg. It is often served fried like the Padrón or stuffed with cheese or other fillings. It develops a tougher skin as it matures, and then is best roasted and peeled.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 3 to 5 inches long
SPICINESS: 1

Hot Banana

Happy Quail grows both sweet and hot varieties of the banana pepper, known as bácskai fehér in Hungary. Winsberg says they are often used in Hungarian lecsó (a dish of stewed peppers and eggs), pickled, or served grilled with meats.

AVERAGE SIZE:
About 6 to 7 inches long
SPICINESS: 2

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  • If you are interested in growing your own peppers, please check out http://www.chileplants.com/
    These folks have no less than 500 different types of peppers from which to choose. We've bought from them over the years and the quality of their plants and their service has been unfailingly top notch.

  • "Winsberg says they are relatives of wild chiles from South and Central America"..... This is a rather stupid statement, since ALL CHILES are relatives to South & Central American wild chiles. All chiles come from this region. There weren't any chiles in Europe, Asia and Africa before they were brought back by the Spanish/Portuguese explorers.

  • Plant about 30 Anaheim sets in early spring and they bear 'till first front. A great mild flavorful pepper for various uses.
    We like the Jalapeno if looking for heat. There is also a "TAM" jalapeno perfected by Texas A & M University which has the flavor but milder in heat.

  • I plan to make tamales this year for Christmas. I do not tolerate hot peppers at all, and must choose a pepper that is mild for my sauce. All the recipes I have seen call for dried peppers that are spicy hot and must be presoaked in water. Could anyone suggest a pepper that I could use instead of the hot ones? Would a mild chili powder work ok, and if so, which one? Thanks so much!

  • Get on the Tomato Growers Supply Co. of Ft. Myers website for a more complete survery of chiles (hot peppers or peperoncini). You can acquire a hard copy catalog from the TGSC.

  • Thanks Chow!
    Ancho is dried poblano, not a different variety. They show poblanos. What is missing is guajillo and pasilla peppers.
    This is a helpful site, as well: http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/pages/varietys.html

  • Another variety I prefer is the Ancho. Fairly hot, but not on the level of a Habanero. About a 3 or so on the heat scale.

  • Nice piece chow folks.

  • Question [/Schrutte]: I want to freeze the peppers I'm harvesting. Is it better to de-vein/de-seed now or freeze them whole?

  • I grew Fatali peppers in a pot on my patio this summer. They are AMAZING-incredibly hot with a lovely citrus tone. And gorgeous on the plant, Can't I put a picture here?

  • Does anyone know if the "long banana" the same as what is commonly called the "long hot" in the Philadelphia area? It is usually served roasted, whole, to put on sandwiches. I think the same pepper is also common roasted at Falafel shops.

  • Just the usual word of warning to California residents - fresh poblanos are almost always confusingly labelled 'pasilla' here. The dried version also may be labeled 'pasilla' or 'pasilla-ancho'.

    BTW one common fresh chile not shown here is the yellow a.k.a. guero chile. I'm not sure, but the Fresno chile (usually seen in red stage here) may be related - the latter is similar in size to a...+READ

    Just the usual word of warning to California residents - fresh poblanos are almost always confusingly labelled 'pasilla' here. The dried version also may be labeled 'pasilla' or 'pasilla-ancho'.

    BTW one common fresh chile not shown here is the yellow a.k.a. guero chile. I'm not sure, but the Fresno chile (usually seen in red stage here) may be related - the latter is similar in size to a jalapeno but has a pointier end.

    And do check out this large database of chile varieties with Lots of pictures: http://www.g6csy.net/chile/index.html-COLLAPSE

  • very informative.....thanks a lot

  • Good read I am a chilli fan fomr Australia and there are a number of growers with some of the rare breds here in Queenslkand o the sunshine coast I know of.

    I have seen and tried many that you describe how ever dont forget the scotch bonneet and the birds eye (small little crazy hot asian numbers ) amongst others an ongoing feature of this kind would be really good as with most things there...+READ

    Good read I am a chilli fan fomr Australia and there are a number of growers with some of the rare breds here in Queenslkand o the sunshine coast I know of.

    I have seen and tried many that you describe how ever dont forget the scotch bonneet and the birds eye (small little crazy hot asian numbers ) amongst others an ongoing feature of this kind would be really good as with most things there are many tyoes another good one would be galic maybe?-COLLAPSE

  • I live in a small town in New England, and varieties of chile peppers other than Bell peppers, jalapenos and Cubanelles are *just* starting to become available in markets around me. So, about a month ago, I set as one of my goals the learning of how to cook with them. But since they've haven't been found here, I'm at a loss sometimes to know what I'm looking at at the store. TY so much for the...+READ

    I live in a small town in New England, and varieties of chile peppers other than Bell peppers, jalapenos and Cubanelles are *just* starting to become available in markets around me. So, about a month ago, I set as one of my goals the learning of how to cook with them. But since they've haven't been found here, I'm at a loss sometimes to know what I'm looking at at the store. TY so much for the feature and the poster. I've downloaded it, and I know it will help me to identify the varieties themselves and what to use them in. And I do hope you are able to expand this as more come into season!-COLLAPSE

  • Roxanne, that tiny print eluded my aged eyes. Thanks for the heads-up

  • I really enjoyed the article. i wonder if you get a Mariquita mystery pick up, like I do? I got a few pouches of pimiento de padron this summer and toasted them in a hot dry pan and sea salt. Yum. I even threw them in an omellete one morning.

    Besides roasting and steaming to de-skin peppers, is there another method you can recommend?

    thank you,
    dina

  • Hi KaimukiMan and Akitist,

    It seems you may have missed the second page of the story which includes many more peppers! Please check it out http://www.chow.com/stories/11811/2 Still, it's my hope to be able to expand the chart down the line as more peppers come into season and become available for us to get into the photo studio.

    Thanks,
    Roxanne Webber of CHOW

  • Yep, very Eurocentric selection. Huge variety of Latin American and Asian types ignored. No jalapeños even. Yeesh!

  • I like it. I wish it was on a laminated card for handy reference.

  • informative, just wish it could have been more extensive. it seems they were all "western" chilies, none of the thai, korean, chinese, etc were represented. a great start of a series perhaps?

  • Very helpful. Thank you!