Ancho
Capsicum annuum 'Ancho' · Chilli pepper
Top 10 pairings
The ancho is the dried form of the ripe red poblano — a broad, flat, wrinkled reddish-brown to mahogany pod with deep, sweet, raisiny flavour and only gentle heat (about 1,000–1,500 SHU). With the mulato and pasilla it is one of the foundational dried chillies of Mexican cooking, the soul of classic mole sauces.
Picking a good onedrag
UnderripeOverripe
Red ripePeakIt's sweetest and hottest now. Roast it, make chilli oil or sauce, or string it to dry.
ColourFully turned, bright even red
The pressFirm, springs straight back
Cap and stalkCap green and tight, stalk firming
Smell at the capWarm and fruity over the green
These cues are Chilli's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
What you get from one
73%
Edible part
45 g · fresh pod, stem and seeds out
62 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
Below 7 °C the skin pits and the cap moulds: in two weeks at 5 °C, in days at 0 °C.
90-95%
Humidity
Loosely bagged
Airflow