Whole Pasilla Chili Pepper

The pasilla chilli is one of the more than one hundred varieties of chillies that exist and are used in Mexican cuisine. In its fresh form it is called chilaca chilli, they are chillies with an elongated shape and wrinkled skin, hence its name, as once dried, it wrinkles like a sultana. Intense spiciness. Very dark red in colour, almost black.

It is used to make a wide variety of sauces, such as the sauce that bears its name, Pasilla chilli sauce, and ‘salsa borracha’ (drunken sauce), which is made with pulque, as well as in various types of mole, adobo and revoltijo, and is served alongside various beef, pork or chicken stews. It can be sliced and fried, and is the classic garnish for tortilla soup eaten in Mexico City; the seeds and veins are kept and fried, placed on the table, and diners use them to season their dishes. In Oaxaca, to avoid confusion with the Pasilla chilli from Oaxaca, it is known as the Mexican chilli.