Native American Chile: the Connoisseurs’ Choice

By: Campos, Marie P.

October 5, 2007

Revised December 8, 2008

Many native plants are becoming extinct.  Extinction of native seeds is dangerous and threatens our food security.  Due to their adaptation to the land where they are grown, native plants (or landraces) have a high tolerance to blights, droughts, diseases, and other disasters that can wipe out hybrid crops.

The scientific community uses the genetic material from native plants to create hybrid, genetically engineered--commodity crops.  Commodity type chilies, designed scientifically, probably do not produce larger yields, but do produce larger size chilies.  Commodity growers love that, because then sold in bulk it maximizes their profits.  The result of these manmade efforts to hybridize chile is the loss of its natural flavor, the creation of a thick skin and general degeneration of its palatability.  In other words, they become jaded.  

Scientists engineer flavors and genetically modify crops in order to maximize commodity producer's profits.  These practices often negatively affect native seed strains and threaten their survival.  The science behind genetic modification of chile is fascinating; however, these frankenstein-chilies are clearly different from native strains.  Native chile is native chile, commodity chile is commodity chile, butter is butter, margarine is margarine, and sugar is sugar and so on.

Native American chilies are specialty crops that produce yields in harmony with nature.  Chimayo chile is a small chile about 5" long.  The lower part of the pod is bent and its stem top indents like a royal crown.  Along with the native seeds, the growing conditions in Chimayo New Mexico contribute to Chimayo chile’s distinct flavor and identity.  The concentration of flavor is higher in Chimayo than in commodity chile.  Chimayo is more expensive, but cooks can use less and consumers receive the health benefits of nature.

Because Chimayo chile is so desirable, there are companies that falsely advertize and market commodity chile under the label Chimayo.  If you read the ingredients, the package will usually say "New Mexican" chile rather than Chimayo chile (Capsicum annum “Chimayo”). The "New Mexican" chile is a commodity chile either grown or packaged in Southern or Central New Mexico and is not the acclaimed native chile strain grown in the village of Chimayo that became famous in the 1800’s.  

Buyers beware, identity thieves try to “brand” commodity chilies as Chimayo.  To lure consumers into buying falsely labeled products, companies use consumer-manipulating marketing tricks.  These deceivers mix a pinch of authentic Chimayo with commodity chile and/or grow the strain outside of the geographic area and then claim that the product contains "real" Chimayo chile. 

Unlike the brick-red color of commodity chilies, one way to identify authentic Chimayo chile powder is by its distinct pottery red-orange color.  It is about two shades darker than the Arbol chile from Mexico.  It will not be a surprise when these identity thieves scientifically engineer another alteration of their frankenstein-chile to mimic the color of Chimayo.

Native American strains of chile, found in Northern New Mexico, are landraces that have adapted to their geographical location.  These landraces are natural strains and different from the hybrid "New Mexican" commodity chile grown in Southern New Mexico (like Hatch and Socorro).

Flavor is the sure indication of authentic Chimayo chile.  Native Chimayo chile has medium heat and a smooth robust flavor with chocolate-like base tones.  The remarkable thing about the real Chimayo chile is the ability to age the chile under controlled conditions.  When aged properly, the chile's flavor is refined like a fine wine.  Commodity chilies do not have the ability to be aged; aging dissipates their flavor quickly.

Since Chimayo Red has more flavor than heat, the heat level is controllable.  Without forfeiting flavor, chefs use more Chimayo when they want to increase the heat level and less when they want to lower the heat level.  With commodity chilies, the heat over powers the flavor so the flavor is compromised when a chef uses less chile to lower the heat level.

Commodity chile has a heat and flavor that fight with each other while you are eating it.  All those "Chile Machos" out there may love that burn, but we of the more delicate appetite cannot take all the nagging on the palate and want to taste the flavor.  Honest flavor...cannot be counterfeit.  Natural essential oils in native chile varieties marry the heat and flavor into one grand savor; they are soul mates. That is why gourmet cooks covet the authentic Chimayo chile grown in the village.  Why settle for less?