When making good Mexican food you will often use peppers for that bold and spicy flavor. When cooking Mexican cuisine there are a number of different types of peppers used. For those who want to improve their Mexican cuisine, it helps to know of the essential peppers used in Mexican food. Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant would like to share some of the essential peppers used in traditional Mexican cuisine.
Peppers that Mexican Cooks Use
Chiles De Arbol – The chiles de arbol is a pepper that is usually grounded down into powder and is used to make sauces. However, the pepper can also be used in soup and stews. These peppers are most commonly found dried or in a powder from. When using chiles de arbol be careful how much you use as they are very spicy, reaching between 15,000 to 30,000 on the Scoville scale.
Jalapeno Pepper – One of the more popular types of pepper that is used as a topping or inside a number of Mexican dishes is the jalapeno pepper. Most people believe the jalapeno pepper is green in color, but fully matured, they become a bright red color. Additionally most people think of the Jalapeno pepper as very spicy but it only rates between 2,500 and 10,000 on the Scoville scale. When you want to add a spicy flavor to your Mexican food, you can never go wrong with jalapeno peppers. Not only do they taste good, but they are also an excellent source of vitamin C.
Cascabel Peppers – This is another low heat pepper that only ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 on the Scoville scale. These peppers are smaller and round and also like tomatoes, they too start out green in color and once fully ripened, become a red color. These peppers are most often dried out and crushed down. However, they can also be used fresh and is traditionally used in soups, salsas, stews and for sauces.
Habanero Peppers – These peppers are known for their heat. Habanero peppers range between 100,000 and 350,000 on the Scoville scale. Habanero peppers are most popularly used as a bottled sauce. In most cases, the sauce is an orange and red color. However, habanero peppers can also be white, brown, and pink. Out of all the common types of chili peppers, it is one of the hottest and are not for everyone.
Poblano Peppers – Poblano peppers is another pepper that has mild heat only reaching 1,000 to 2,000 on the Scoville scale. However, they can occasionally have intense heat which makes these peppers a bit unpredictable. These peppers are rich in vitamin A and C which makes them a great ingredient to use in your Mexican dishes.
Serrano Peppers – These peppers can greatly vary in heat. They can be as low as 5,000 and as high as 25,000 on the Scoville scale. These peppers can come in a variety of colors from dark green, to reddish orange, and yellow. Serrano peppers are fairly common and they are enjoyed raw as well as cooked. They are found in a number of Mexican cuisines.
Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Las Vegas, Nevada (Just Minutes from Summerlin, North LV, Paradise, Lone Mountain & Henderson, NV)
These are some of the peppers used in Mexican cuisine. If you are having a craving for some of your favorite Mexican dishes, come on down to Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant today.
