New Mexico Chiles, Capsicum annuum, are frequently mistaken for Anaheim Chile Peppers (also called California Chiles) and while closely related to Anaheim Chiles, New Mexico Chiles are more flavorful and a bit hotter.

New Mexican cuisine differs from its southwestern neighbors of Arizona and Texas as New Mexican cooks treat chiles more as a star of the dish rather than as a spice used to “add some flavor”. Their affection for chiles borders on obsessive.

Chiles are a part of New Mexico’s DNA so much so that in 1965 the New Mexico state legislature adopted chiles and frijoles (pinto beans) as the two state vegetables. But they weren’t done and in 1999 they also adopted an official state question -- "Red or Green?" This is a reference to most New Mexicans having very strong opinions as to which type of chile sauce they prefer with their breakfast, lunch and dinner. The issue is so important that diners are always asked for their preference when they order a meal -- “do you want red or green”?  

Red New Mexico Hatch Chiles, when ground into a chile powder, are also known as “molido” or “New Mexico Molido”.

History of New Mexico Chiles

Some anthropologists and food historians credit the introduction of chile peppers into modern day New Mexico to New Spain (present day Mexico) conquistador Don Juan de Oñate, who, in 1598, became the first colonial governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México (modern day New Mexico). Other chile historians speculate that the introduction of these early cultivars of chiles into the region may have been by Antonio Espejo who came across the Pueblo Indians along the Upper Rio Grande River during his earlier expedition up from New Spain in 1582. The Spanish made a practice of meeting and befriending farmers they encountered on their explorations into new territories to plant crops that would insure there would be food available when they returned along the routes. Both of these two explorers most likely played a part in bringing chiles into the region.

Chile historians believe that numerous varieties of chiles were cultivated during this early period, most likely chilacas (when dried called pasilla), jalapeños, poblanos (known as ancho when dried) and serranos. There was another variety that thrived in the region’s climate and soil, it was a long green chile that turned red in the fall. Various New Mexican chiles were cultivated for hundreds of years in the northern part of region with such meticulous care that multiple distinct varieties emerged. These varieties became known as “landrace chiles”.

DNA research conducted by the New Mexico State University Chile Breeding Program discovered that many traditional Northern New Mexico landrace chiles contained a distinct genetic similarity to landrace varieties from Mexico. Landrace chiles in New Mexico are descendants of chiles historically taken through the Spanish and Portuguese trading routes from Mexico into what is today America’s southwestern region between 1492 and 1590. They’re called “landraces” because the chiles have been collected and cultivated by individual families, and these specific “races” of chiles are closely linked to specific land areas where they’ve been grown for hundreds of years. Farmers still grow landrace chiles in Northern New Mexico typically in higher elevations (approximately 6,000 feet above sea level) where they have very remote fields and short growing seasons.

Landrace chiles are often named after the community where they're grown in (i.e. Chimayo and Espanola are two of the better known) but many family farms maintain their own unique named landrace chiles -- some of the best known of these include Hernandez, Escondida, Alcaldes and Velarde.

While the popularity of modern New Mexico chiles is without a doubt tied to Spanish colonization of the area, these chiles never would have survived if not for their early acceptance by the Native American populations that adopted them into their own agricultural and culinary repertoires. For the 300 years after Espejo and Onate’s introduction of chiles to New Mexico, the area’s Anglo population rarely used the chiles in their cooking. Today these chiles are practically treated as New Mexican gold.

The commercially known Hatch New Mexico chile took its own unique path from the landrace chiles. This journey couldn’t have occurred without the pioneering horticulturist Fabián Garcia, who was a member of the first graduating class of New Mexico A&M in 1894 (which in 1960 became known as New Mexico State University). After graduation Garcia began working with Hispanic gardeners in the Las Cruces area who were cultivating local chiles. He later received his doctorate and became a professor at the university, in 1913 Dr. Garcia became director of the university’s first experiment station where he worked to improve native chiles through selective breeding. His goal was to produce a milder chile cultivar that would appeal to the growing Anglo population which in turn would create a viable commercial chile agribusiness for area farmers. He handpicked 14 chile accessions growing in the Las Cruces area that were either red or black in color. By 1921 the remaining line was known as 'New Mexico No. 9' which he felt was the most flavorful and mild enough for the Anglos.

New Mexico No. 9 has historical significance, not only because it was the first chile cultivar released from New Mexico A&M, but also because it introduced a new pod type --'New Mexican' -- to the world. Today NMSU has the longest continuous program of chile improvement in the world, more than 120 years, and is home to the Chile Pepper Institute.

Cultivating New Mexico Chiles

Our "Red" New Mexico Chile Powder comes from arguably the most famous chile growing town in the US -- Hatch, New Mexico the self-proclaimed Chile Capital of the World. Hatch is located 37 miles north of Las Cruces and is just west of the Rio Grande River. New Mexico chiles are planted in early April and are harvested between late August and early October. As summer draws to a close, the green chiles are maturing and turn a deep, rich red color. This changes the flavor profile of the chile, as it becomes a bit mellower and sweeter as it matures.

The green chile harvest begins in late July and continues through the red chile harvest, which typically lasts until the first frost of fall.

Hatch, New Mexico has the perfect combination of sandy soil, high altitude, dry air, rain and long, hot, sunny growing days with cool nights that produces world class chiles year after year. Hatch is home to the annual Hatch Chile Festival, which draws over 30,000 visitors every Labor Day weekend. Today, in the Hatch Valley, there are numerous varieties of chiles with different heat, shapes and sizes grown. Our Hatch New Mexico Chile Powder is from the NuMex 6-4 variety.

Our Hatch New Mexico Red Chile Powder is from New Mexico. 

 

Challenges Facing Hatch New Mexico Chile Farmers

The chile farmers of Hatch, New Mexico have been facing increasing pressure on their livelihood for more than two decades. In 1992, the year before NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) was passed there were approximately 35,000 acres of New Mexico chiles cultivated and, according to the New Mexico Chile Association, 2014’s harvest was the smallest in recent memory at a little over 7,000 acres.

The passing of NAFTA started the decline as New Mexican chile farmers couldn't compete with the flood of chiles from Mexican chile farms who paid significantly lower wages for this the labor intensive hand harvesting. So even though Americans are consuming more chile peppers than ever before the USDA and New Mexico Department of Agriculture have reported that the New Mexico chile pepper harvest shrank by 41% between 2004 and 2013 (from approximately 110,000 tons down to some 65,000 tons).  

As if that wasn’t enough to overcome, New Mexico chile farmers are fighting yet another battle with Mother Nature. Ongoing drought conditions have forced farmers to increasingly rely on well water instead of critical rain fall and not all of the farms have access to wells. This means fewer acres are available for planting. Average temperatures have also steadily risen in the last 10 years which has caused green chiles to mature to red much sooner than normal, which causes problems in the harvest schedule.

The triple wammy has been unscrupulous growers in other parts of the state and farmers in other states all trying to cash in on the Hatch New Mexico Chile brand.  More chiles are sold as Hatch New Mexico chiles than could possibly be grown in the small valley (especially given the reduced acreage). In 2011, the New Mexico state legislature signed into law the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act, which prohibits chiles grown in other states from being marketed as authentic New Mexico chile. The state's Department of Agriculture is responsible from enforcing the law but only has the authority to so within its own state borders.

Be wary of companies who are selling "New Mexico Chile Powder" that is made from chiles grown in Mexico or China, not New Mexico. If you look carefully at their listings or on the packaging, they may indicate that the powder is only named in this way because it is grown in the same "style" as New Mexico chiles. These chile powders will not have the same flavor or intensity that chiles grown in New Mexico will. 

If you are interested in genuine Hatch Chile flavor, you might want to check out our Hatch Green Chile Powder, Hatch Green Chile Flakes, Lumbre Chile Powder, and Hatch Chile Flakes.  

Cooking with New Mexico Chile Powder

New Mexico Chile Powder has a deep dark reddish brown color and is most commonly found in Southwestern and New Mexican cuisine. It is also used in traditional red chile sauces to create an authentic New Mexican flair. You can use this to add zest (or piquancy) to carne adovada, enchiladas, salsas, sauces, stews, tamales and numerous vegetable dishes. What makes this cuisine so unique from the neighboring states is that chiles are not used only as a seasoning, they are often the main ingredient.

Some of our favorite recipes using New Mexico Chile Powder include Spicy Southwestern Pasta, Spicy Black Bean Chili, Chunky Vegetarian Chili and Sweet Chickpea Chili.

 

Heat and Flavor Profile

Our New Mexico "Hatch" Chile Powder is considered a mild heat chile and comes in at 800-1,400 SHU (Scoville Heat Units).

Our Hatch New Mexico Chile Powder features an earthy, sweet flavor with undertones of weediness, acidity and a hint of dried cherries.

New Mexico Chile Substitutions and Conversions

If you ask anybody from New Mexico about what to use as a substitute you’ll get an answer that there is no substitute. But if you’re in a pinch you can use California Chiles (a.k.a. Anaheim Chiles) or Guajillo Chiles.

1 Dried New Chile Pod is equal to 1 teaspoon of Ground New Mexico Chile.

** This product is certified kosher.

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