Salu2food(Home) Food Food Information Peppers/Chiles
ANCHO
The ancho is a dried poblano chile, and is the most commonly used driedchile in Mexico. Brick red to dark mahogany, with an orange-red cordovantint when held up to the light. Wrinkled, with broad shoulders (in Spanish,ancho means wide), tapering to a round end. Measures 4 to 5 inches longand about 3 inches across at the shoulders. Medium thick fleshed; at itsbest when very flexible and aromatic. The ancho is the sweetest of the driedchiles. It has a mild fruit flavor with tones of coffee, liquorice, tobacco,dried plum, and raisin, with a little woodiness. It is frequently mislabeledas a pasilla. The ancho together with the mulato and the true pasilla formthe "holy trinity" of chiles used to prepare the traditional molesauces. The ancho is sold in three grades of quality in Mexico; primerois the highest grade and consists of the largest, thickest-fleshed chiles(pictured opposite). Mediano is the medium grade, while ancho is the basicgrade. Indispensable for making sauces and moles Can be purchased in powderedform.