Poblano

whether dried or smoked, takes on new names:

• ancho (the dried, wrinkly heart-shaped, dark green version). Anchos originated in the Puebla valley, south of Mexico City. It is broad, somewhat heart-shaped, fairly mild to hot, and used fresh or dried.
• mulato (the black and more pungent type dried form)
• pastilla (another mahogany dried pepper that is more pungent than either the ancho or mulato)

These are the peppers used mainly in making chili rellanos (we make a vegan version!)

and molés,

Mexico’s national sauce. Molé recipes are as numerous as there are cooks, with each adding his/her special concoction of ingredients.

The poblano is a mild type pepper, shaped conveniently for stuffing. It is puffy and large, with a three-inch wide stem end that tapers to a pointed tip at the other.

It ranges from three to five inches long and is usually a dark green, but there are red ones or both having blushes of either colour.

The poblano is the chile most California-style restaurants use, but call pasilla, which, in Mexico, is a different pepper.