Capsicum annuum

Origin: Mexico

Color/s: Brown and shriveled

Scoville Heat Units (SHU): (hot) 3,000-10,000

Size:  2–3½ inches

Shape: Flat, rounded and wrinkled

Other Interesting Facts:

  • Pronounced chi-PHOT-lay, which comes from the Nahuatl word chilpoktli meaning “smoked chili pepper”
  • A chipotle pepper is a smoke-dried Jalapeño pepper.
  • Usually the Jalapeño peppers used for smoking are deep red and have lost most of their moisture
  • The smoking affect attributes to the smokey flavor of the chipotle.
  • Chipotle is used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Mexican-American and Tex-Mex
  • In Mexico chipotle is known as a morita (Spanish for blackberry or black raspberry; literally “little purple one”)
  • Around ten pounds of jalapeños make one pound of chipotle
  • Most chipotle chilies are produced in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua