American Natural & Organic Spices™

More About Ancho Chili

One of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico, the tree of the Capsicum annuum is multi-stemmed and can reach 25 inches in height. The pod itself is about three to six inches long and about two to three inches wide. An immature poblano is dark purplish green in color but eventually turns a red so dark as to be nearly black. When dried this pepper becomes a broad, flat, heart-shaped pod called an ancho chile (meaning "wide" in Spanish), often ground into a powder used for flavoring recipes.

Preparation methods include: dried, fried, stuffed, or in mole sauces. It is particularly popular during the Mexican independence festivities as part of a dish called Chiles en Nogada which incorporates green, white and red ingredients corresponding to the colors of the Mexican flag. This may be considered as one of Mexico's most symbolic dishes by its nationals. It is also usually used in the widely found dish Chile relleno. Poblanos are also popular in the United States and can be found in grocery stores in the states bordering Mexico and in urban areas.