Chipotle
A ripe jalapeño dried over wood smoke, giving a deep, sweet smoke and slow heat.
Also: smoked jalapeño, chilpoctli, morita, chile ahumado
Chipotle comes from the Nahuatl chilpoctli, smoked chilli. It is a jalapeño left to ripen red, then dried over smouldering wood for several days until it is wrinkled and brown. The flavour is smoky, tobacco-like and slightly fruity with moderate heat. Mexican cooks use it dried, rehydrated or in adobo sauce, a vinegar, tomato and garlic mix that preserves it. It flavours salsas, stews, marinades and barbecue sauces. The smoking technique goes back to Aztec preservation methods, which helped chillies keep through the damp season. Morita is a smaller, fruitier relative.