Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15th to October 15th, aligning with significant anniversaries of independence across Latin America. We are thrilled for the chance to recognize and uplift the voices of our culinarians through their recipes and food traditions.
The Cultural Impact of the Chile
This year, we are tracing the cultural and culinary impact of chiles across Latin America. As a member of the Capsicum plant family, chiles are an incredibly diverse ingredient used across the world, with varieties ranging in geography, cuisine, uses, spice level, color, and more, yet their origins can be traced to the South American Andes. The plants were first domesticated in Veracruz, Mexico, resulting in a huge diversity of cultivated chiles in the region and their key role in many traditional dishes.
Chiles are enjoyed fresh or dried, smoked or preserved in a paste, and many Hispanic cuisines have culturally significant peppers, like guajillos in Mexico, ají amarillo in Peru, ají dulce in the Caribbean, and pimientos de padrón in Spain. Capsaicin is what gives chiles their distinct heat, which is produced by the plant as a defense mechanism against predators. Their varying spice levels are measured on a scale of Scoville Heat Units (SHU), from 0 SHU for bell peppers to 3,500 for jalapeños to over 100,000 SHU for habaneros.
An Ancient Ingredient…
Long before becoming a culinary staple, chiles originated as wild berries found in the Andean region of modern-day Bolivia and Peru. Archaeological evidence suggests that Indigenous societies traded chiles across the Americas, reaching modern-day Veracruz, Mexico, where they were first cultivated. Over thousands of years, Indigenous growers bred chiles, creating an extraordinary diversity of cultivated varieties.
For many, chiles are more than just an ingredient, but also carry deep symbolic meaning. In the Incan empire, chiles were worshiped as Agar-Uchu (which translates to Brother Chile), one of the four brothers of the first Incan king. According to historical accounts, Uchu (the Quechua word for chile) represented ancestral wisdom and cultural heritage. Further north, chiles also played an important role in Aztec society. Chilli (the Nahuatl word for chile) was a form of tribute in the empire’s taxation system.
…With Global Reach
Around the advent of colonization in the 1500s, chiles first became a global commodity and have since become key ingredients in many global cuisines, from Thailand and India to Hungary and Ethiopia. With their complex flavor and distinctive heat, chiles are both globally popular and one of the defining flavors of many cuisines across Latin America and the Hispanic world. Indigenous traditions and global influence have combined to create beloved dishes across Hispanic communities.
Here are some examples of how these delicious fruits (botanically, they’re classified as berries) are incorporated into Hispanic cuisines.
Tiradito (Peru)
This Peruvian dish is a wonderful example of Nikkei cuisine, which comes from Japanese immigrants adapting their traditional recipes using local Peruvian ingredients. Tiradito is a dish where raw fish is served with a spicy and acidic sauce, like a cross between sashimi and ceviche. The most classic sauce is called Leche de Tigre (Tiger’s Milk) made from the bright yellow-orange chile, ají amarillo, and lime juice. Ají amarillo is a staple chile in most Peruvian and Andean dishes. It provides a subtle fruity flavor with a spice level ranging from medium to hot.
Chiles en Nogada (Mexico)
Chiles en Nogada is a Mexican dish where the poblano chile (a large, mild green chile) is the star of the show. Poblanos are charred and stuffed with picadillo, a sweet and savory mixture made with ground meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and spices, and topped with nogada (a walnut-based cream sauce), pomegranates, and parsley. The dish is symbolic of the Mexican flag: green from the poblano, white from the walnut sauce, and red from the pomegranates. It’s typically served to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, which happens to also align with pomegranate season in early fall.
Pimientos de Padrón (Spain)
Brought from the Americas and cultivated in Galicia, Spain, you will find these wrinkled peppers served at any tapas bar in Spain. Typically, chefs will simply blister the peppers in oil and top them with coarse salt. They have a light, slightly bitter flavor and can vary in heat. These peppers are often called “Russian Roulette” due to the unpredictable nature of their spiciness.
Kak’ik (Guatemala)
Kak’ik is a deep red turkey stew from Guatemala. Originally a Mayan dish, the name comes from the Q’eqchi language where kak means “red” and ik means “chile”. The signature heat of the dish comes from dried cobanero chiles, which are blended with charred tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, bell peppers, and additional dried chiles to make the flavorful sauce that forms the deep red color of the soup. Cobanero chiles are native to Guatemala, and they have a deep smoky flavor with a sharp heat.
Llajwa (Bolivia)
Llajwa is a spicy Bolivian salsa and is a staple across the country. It is made from locotos: small, apple-shaped peppers with a spice level comparable to a habanero pepper. Locotos, tomatoes, and often onions are blended to create a fiery sauce that’s served with most Bolivian dishes. Traditionally, these ingredients are prepared using a grinding stone called a batan, but today is often made with a blender.
Today, the rich diversity of chiles faces challenges. Agricultural monocultures and the modern industrial food system have contributed to a loss of many locally adapted heirloom varieties. Part of protecting cultural heritage is highlighting the agrobiodiversity of chiles. This is why it is important to us at Bon Appétit to continue celebrating the flavors and traditions that make chiles a key culinary ingredient today.
