The following are just a few of the many
different types of chilies.
Ancho - These are dried poblano chilies.
They are mild and quite sweet.
Bird's Eye - These chilies are so hot that
they taste explosive to the uninitiated. They can be green, red or
orange in color.
Cascabel - Round, dried cascabel chilies
rattle when they are shaken.
Chipotle - The dried, smoked versions of
jalapeno chilies, chipotle chilies give an intense heat to soups and
stews.
Guajillo - Fairly mild in flavor, and very
good with most seafood.
Habanero - Also known as Scotch Bonnets,
these chilies are extremely hot. They are used in Caribbean jerk sauces.
Indian - Small and very hot, these are
widely used in curry dishes.
Jalapeno - Available green or red, fresh
or pickled, jalapeno are hot and are used in traditional Mexican
tamales, salsas and sauces.
Nyora - A dried, lightly-smoked Spanish
chili with a sweet, fruity flavor, this is good in mild salsas, soups
and stews.
Poblano - Initially green, these large,
mild chilies ripen to a dark red. They are often used for stuffing,
notably in the Mexican dish Chilies Rellenos.
Serrano - These small chilies are fairly
hot with a clean, biting flavor and are used in cooked dishes. They
change from green to red as they ripen.
Thai - These tiny chilies are fairly hot
and are used in authentic red and green Thai curry pastes and salads.
