Peppers

Anaheim: has a mild flavor. Is the most commonly used. Is a medium green color and has a long narrow shape.

Ancho Chile: is a dried chile. Is 3-4 inches long and is broad. Is a deep reddish brown. Flavor ranges from mild to pungent. Is the sweetest of all the dried chiles.

Banana Pepper: Shape is 3-5 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Flavor is sweet with a mild to medium heat, and has a distinct waxy taste. Also known as the Hungarian Wax Chile.

Bull Horn: is a thin curved shaped pepper - green in color with a sweet taste.

Cascabel chile: is a dried chile. Plum shaped with a rich nutty flavor. Is 1-1½ inches in diameter and a dark blood red color. Medium heat. Is also known as the chile bola.

Cayenne Chile: 2-5 inches long, ½ inch in diameter. Is dried and a bright red color. Is extremely hot and is used to make cayenne pepper.

Charleston hot Chile: is a variety of the cayenne chile. Is said to be 20 times hotter than the jalapeno pepper. Is 3-4 inches long. As it ripens it goes from yellow-green to golden to orange and finally crimson red. Is mostly available only in specialty shops.

Cherry Pepper: also known as the Hungarian Cherry pepper. Is 1-2 inches in diameter and round. Is a bright red . Flavor ranges from mile to medium hot. Is available fresh and pickled.

Chilaca Chile: Mild to medium hot. Has a long twisted shape and can be up to 9 inches long. Color ranges from dark green to dark brown when fully ripe. The dried form is called the Pasilla.

Chile Bola: see Cascabel Chile

Colorado Chile: Has a sweet simple taste with just a hint of heat. Is the chile most commonly used in salsa. Can be purchased fresh or canned. Is the type used for the dried decorative wreaths hung in restaurants.

Chipotle Chile: is a dried, smoked jalapeno pepper. Has a wrinkled brown skin. Flavor is hot, smoky and sweet.

Cubanelle pepper: has a long tapered shape and color is yellow to red.

Fresno chile: see Jalapeno

Guayillo chile: Also known as the Travieso chile. Comes in the dried form. Skin is shiny and smooth. Size is long and pointed (4 inches to 1 inch). Color is a deep deep red. In preparation for drying - must be soaked longer than other varieties because of its tough skin.

Habanero chile: Has a small lantern shape. Ranges from light green to bright orange when ripe. Is extremely hot. Can be purchased fresh and dried.

Hungarian Cherry Pepper: see cherry pepper.

Hungarian Wax Chili: see Banana pepper.

Ichimi: see Togarashi

Jalapeno: Has a short cone shape with a rounded tip. Is 2 inches long and ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. Goes from light green to bright red when fully mature. Skin is smooth. Used in small amounts due to its heat. Is hot to very hot. Popular because it is easily seeded. Is available fresh and canned. In its dried form, it is known as Chipotles.

Mulato Chile: Is a type of dried Poblano. Is 4 to 5 inches long and is dark brown. The flavor is a pronounced smoky flavor, more so than the Ancho chile. This is the variety used for making mole.

Pasilla Chile: see Chilaca

Pequin Chile: Has a tiny oval shape and is only ½ inch long. It comes in the dried form. The color is red to orange. The flavor is slightly sweet and smokey and has a fiery heat.

Pimento: Has a sweet aromatic flesh, more so than the red pepper. Is a large red heart shaped pepper 3 to 4 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide. Is purchased canned or bottled. It is the stuffing used inside green olives. Much of the pimento is used in making paprika.

Poblano Chile: is the fresh state of the Ancho or Mulato Chile. Color is a dark almost black green. Is 2½ to 3 inches wide, and 4 to 5 inches long with a triangular shape. When purchasing - the darker the color the better for the richest flavor.

Serrano Chile: Is very small - 1 to 1½ inches long and is a smooth bright green, turning scarlet to yellow as it matures. Has a very hot flavor. Can be purchased fresh, canned or pickled.

Sweet Bell Peppers: Are the largest of the pepper/chile family. Color can be pale to dark green, yellow to orange to red, and purple to brown to black. They have a mild sweet flavor. Are best known as bell peppers.

Thai Chile: Are a tiny 1 to 1½ inch long and ¼ inch in diameter fiery hot chile. Their thin flesh ranges from green to red when fully ripe.

Togarashi: also known as the Ichimi. Is a small red Japanese chile that has a hot flavor. Is available fresh and dried.

Travieso chile: see Guayillo chile.