Guajillo chili

This article is about the chile pepper. For the shrub that is also called guajillo or chile guaco, see Acacia berlandieri.
Guajillo chili
Several dried guajillo chiles
SpeciesCapsicum annuum
OriginCentral America and Mexico
Heat Medium
Scoville scale2,500–5,000 SHU

A guajillo chili or guajillo chile or chile guaco (Spanish: chile guajillo) or mirasol chile is a landrace variety of the species Capsicum annuum with a mirasol ("sunflower" or "looking at the sun") chile fruit type. Mirasol is used to refer to the fresh pepper, and the term guajillo is used for the dry form, which is the second-most common dried chili in Mexican cuisine.[1][2][3][4] The Mexican state of Zacatecas is one of the main producers of guajillo chilies. There are two main varieties that are distinguished by their size and heat factors. The guajillo puya is the smaller and hotter of the two (puyar, in Spanish, is to prick or poke). In contrast, the longer and wider guajillo has a more pronounced, richer flavor and is somewhat less spicy. With a rating of 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale, its heat is considered mild to medium.[2]

Guajillo chilies have many applications and are used in a variety of Mexican preparations. For instance, they are sometimes used to make salsa (e.g. mole) for tamales; the dried fruits are seeded, soaked or simmered, then pulverized, mashed or pureed into a paste, then cooked with several other ingredients to produce a flavorful sauce.

Guajillo chilies are used in marinades, salsas, pastes, butters and spice rubs to flavor meats, fat and oil with other ingredients. The guajillo chili, with its more delicate flavor, is used with fish and chicken, or added to salsa as a side dish.

Some Mexican dishes where guajillo chiles are a main ingredient include:

  • Chilate or mole de olla
  • Pambazos
  • Consomés
  • Carne adobada
  1. ^ "Mirasol (Guajillo) Chili Pepper – Parks Brothers Farm, Inc". parksbrothers.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  2. ^ a b Bray, Matt (22 November 2014). "Guajillo pepper: The sweet side of spice". Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Guajillo Peppers". WorldCrops for Northern United States. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  4. ^ Kraft, K. H.; Brown, C. H.; Nabhan, G. P.; Luedeling, E.; Luna Ruiz, J. d. J.; Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge, G.; Hijmans, R. J.; Gepts, P. (21 April 2014). "Multiple lines of evidence for the origin of domesticated chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, in Mexico". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (17): 6165–6170. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.6165K. doi:10.1073/pnas.1308933111. PMC 4035960. PMID 24753581.