Chiles for Gringos

A Talk on Chiles for the Botanical Garden

by Victoria Challancin

The following is an article that I wrote on chiles for the local San Miguel de Allende newspaper, the Atención, to accompany the announcement about a talk I was asked to give at the local Botanical Garden:

When people who haven’t been raised with spicy food first encounter the chiles of Mexico, they are in for a surprise. Even the good folk from Texas can’t imagine what it is like to metaphorically swim in the waters of the genus capsicum, family Solanaceae—Latin for what we commonly call “chiles.” And visitors from what we might call the “culinary bland” states just don’t stand a chance.

My paternal family hails from northern Italy and my mother’s from Georgia. This combined background may have provided me with a rich familial quirkiness, but offered nothing to this Southern girl in the way of understanding the culinary world of spices while growing up, much less chiles. In fact, the only real chiles my family ever ate came from the hot peppers soaked in vinegar that we used to spice our turnip greens. When I moved from Georgia to the Arabian Gulf in 1975, however, my life changed forever. Faced with the heady local Arab food, heavily influenced by the cuisines of southern India, redolent with exotic spices, laced with chiles, it was sink or swim for me. I swam. And have never looked back. I’ve been treading water in the world of chiles ever since then.

My love of chiles may have been firmly established while living in the Arab world, but until I moved to Mexico over twenty-one years ago, I never really understood them in any real sense other than the heat they provided for a dish. Who hasn’t encountered a menu whose offerings are rated in terms of “heat” with chile icons given as warnings? Who hasn’t pondered whether a three-chile Panang Curry, or a four-chile Santa Fe Bowl of Red, or even a one-chile Pork Vindaloo would contain enough capsaicin [the alkaloid in chiles responsible for the “heat”] to push you over the acceptable level intended for human consumption? Yet here in Mexico, while the chiles can certainly be rated on a heat scale, it is the actual flavor of the chile that determines its use in a dish. Understanding those flavors gives a richer appreciation of the complex, vital, ever-fascinating Mexican cuisine.

Mexico is the only country in the world that really uses chiles for flavor, not just for the heat they produce in a dish. Different chiles indeed have different flavors and Mexicans seem to understand this at some visceral level the rest of us can only grasp with concentrated effort. Did you know that ancho chiles taste like dates? Pasilla chiles have hints of chocolate. Habaneros are so herbaceous and flowery that you wonder if citrus blossoms have been added to your food. Serrano chiles hit you like a brash teenager who is loud and in your face. Chipotles smolder quietly and seduce you like an exotic older woman, calling to you siren-like with her depth and complexity. Some chiles singe the front of the mouth, others scream at the back. Some are like innocent young love, scorching you quickly, then fading away to gently haunt your palate as a reminder that they were ever even there. Some surprise you like a lively flirtation, tickling your fancy, making you smile, drawing you back for more. Still others are reminiscent of a deep an abiding love, the memory of the shared delight never really leaving your consciousness. Yes, it’s true: chiles are addictive. You will come back for more—and more, hotter and hotter.

The world of chiles is vast, their history long. In Mexico they permeate every socioeconomic level. They exist in literature, music, art, medicine, folklore, and of course, in albures, those playful doble-sentidos that lace idiomatic Spanish and are so loved by the Mexican people. Chile glyphs can even be seen carved into the stones of ancient Mexican pyramids. Books have been written about chiles. Songs sung. Festivals given. And If you live here and don’t make the effort to understand the role of chiles, not just in their use in the cuisine, but in the psyche of the people, the heart of the culture, then you surely miss the opportunity to peel of one more layer in that proverbial onion that comprises cultural understanding.


The blurb from the Cactus Bulletin announcing the aforementioned talk:
Victoria's talk will be about how to identify and use popular Mexican chiles. As she explains the difference in the both the flavors and heat of different chiles, Victoria will weave their history into an entertaining talk about their role in art, medicine, and culture. Victoria’s lifetime affair with history, culture, travel, and food have provided her with a broad base of knowledge which naturally spills over into both her classes and her talks. In addition to providing solid practical information and recipes, Victoria sprinkles her lively lectures with food anthropology, ethnobotany, a bit of phytochemistry, and Mexican herbal lore. Her love of plants includes not only their use in the kitchen, but also their vital role in healing. Her cooking classes have been featured on TV and in magazines and newspapers. Be sure to check out her food blog as well at http://flavorsofthesun.blogspot.com. Victoria also produces a free food-oriented monthly newsletter; email Victoria at flavorsofthesun@yahoo.com if you wish to be added to the newsletter mailing list.