History of Ancho Chiles

The Poblano chile, what anchos start out as, are native to the mountainous state of Puebla, located just east of Mexico City. The fresh Poblano chile grows to about 5” in length and when used locally is often used for stuffing and making chile strips. “Chile Poblano” means “chile from Puebla” in Spanish, and this city played a key role in Mexican cuisine and history. Chiles en nogada is a patriotic dish created to honor the Mexican General Agustin de Iturbide, who we know in the United States as Augustine of Mexico. During the Mexican War of Independence, he led an army that seized control of Mexico City in 1821, gaining independence for Mexico. It was on August 24th of 1821 that he signed the treaty of Cordoba in Veracruz, and legend has it that on his way back to Mexico City he was stopped by local nuns from the Santa Monica convent and treated to the patriotic dish, first made by the nuns themselves. He is also credited as the original designer of the very first Mexican Flag, so the nuns created the dish to have the colors of the Mexican flag incorporated. The green was from the Poblano chile, the white was the sauce topping the chile, and the red was from the garnish of pomegranate seeds.

Christopher Columbus was the first to bring chiles back to Europe. He appropriated the name “pepper” and called the Native Americans “Indians” because he wrongly assumed that the new lands he encountered was India and the spicy fruit was related to peppercorns. This is why today we still call chiles “peppers” and Native Americans are inaccurately referred to as “Indians” in literature and cultural references from the United States’ past.

Ancho Chile Cultivation

Poblano chile plants are rather small, reaching only about two feet tall. They are very heavy however and are often tied up with string to prevent them from dragging on the ground where it may be wet or muddy. These plants prefer full sunlight and need a moderate amount of water. It takes a poblano around 100 to 115 days from seed to be mature enough for harvest, and it requires a steady soil temperature of 65°F to germinate. The chiles go from green to yellow to red and are usually plucked at green or just barely red to be sold as fresh poblanos. When left on the vine to fully ripen, the poblanos are intended to become ancho chiles.

Traditionally, the chiles are harvested at peak ripeness, with some even beginning to dry right there on the vine. The drying process requires 15 to 30 days of sunlight, depending on the individual chile’s water content. They are laid out together in the direct sunlight on a mat made of oak that encourages air circulation around the chiles. The chiles are flipped every three days to ensure even drying. Once fully dry, the chiles are a reddish brown to black color and they have a wrinkled texture. They are about 3” wide and 4” long, and taper off to a point. There are three grades of dried poblanos, called “Primero” or the highest grade, “Mediano” or the medium grade, and “Ancho” or the standard grade.

Where is it from?

Our Ancho Chile Powder comes from Mexico.

Mole and the “Holy Trinity”

Ancho chiles are a key chile in the famous “holy trinity” lineup of Mexican chiles used in moles, pronounced “MOH-lehs.” The other two chiles that make up this trifecta are the Pasilla de Negro and Mulato chiles. Some confusion exists because there are some people who believe that Mulato chiles and Ancho chiles are the same, when in fact they are merely cousins and are different chiles entirely. Ancho chiles are a key part of “mole poblano,” a recipe that according to legend was created in the 16th century by a Dominican nun named Sor Andrea de la Asuncion at the Santa Rosa convent, located in Puebla, Mexico.

Not All Ancho Chiles are Anchos!

Depending on the region, this chile may have several different names. Growers sometimes mistakenly identify the fresh poblano as an ancho as well. In California, Ancho chiles are sometimes confused for the Pasilla de Negro chile, a chile that doesn’t look or taste anything like the Ancho. Pasilla chiles have a long, thin body and a different texture to them. Be careful when sorting through your chile collection to pick out chiles for your holy trinity that you are in fact reaching for an Ancho.

Cooking with Ancho Chile Powder

Ground Ancho Chile Powder is used in spice rubs, mole sauces, and in enchilada sauces. It is used to intensify the flavor of meat marinated and seasoned with adobo, otherwise called an adobado. It’s great on beans, beef, casseroles, chicken, dips, pasta, pizza, popcorn, pork, red chilis, rices, salsa, soups, and stews.

If you are looking for a simple and delicious way to glaze your salmon, try mixing a teaspoon of ancho powder with some fresh, raw honey. This is the perfect glaze for salmon or really any fish when you are going to sauté it.

Some of our favorite recipes using Ancho Chile Powder include Cinnamon and Ancho Chile Chocolate Bark, Green Chile Stew, Quick and Easy Spicy Grilled Shrimp.

What Does Ancho Chile Powder Taste Like?

Ancho Chile Powder has a mild fruity, sweet, slightly smoky flavor with undertones of plum, raisin, tobacco and a slightly earthy bitterness.

How Hot is Ancho Chile Powder?

Ancho Chile Powder has a heat range of 4,000 to 9,000 SHU.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Whether it is in a Mexican restaurant, a BBQ place, or a specialty spice shop, you will find our Ancho Chile Powder is of the best quality to suit your specific needs. Buying in bulk is the perfect option for our customers who make specialty, small batch hot sauces but it’s also perfect for those of our customers who run authentic Mexican restaurants and require the taste of ancho powder for their enchiladas or moles. Having this chile powder on hand in bulk is a convenient alternative to whole chiles which may take up too much valuable space in a kitchen’s spice collection, like on a food truck for example. This is also convenient in the way that you won’t have to grind the chiles yourself when you are looking for only a bit of Ancho flavor. For our other restaurant customers who are experimenting with incorporating fusion foods into their menu, Ancho Chile Powder gives a genuine Mexican twist to nearly any dish.

Substitutions and Conversions

If you are looking for an ancho chile powder substitute go with guajillo or pasilla negro chile powder. One (1) whole Ancho chile is roughly equivalent to one (1) heaping tablespoon of ancho powder which is also approximately equal to 1/4 oz.

Read More

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