Chile Pepper Fun Fact - The "HOLY TRINITY" of Mexican Cuisine
The delicious blend of the three core chile peppers in Mexican cooking...
Three particular dark, sweet, and relatively mild chilies hold a place of particular prominence in Mexican cooking, especially when it comes to their use in the various and famous mole sauces of the region. These dried peppers are often referred to as the "Holy Trinity" of Mexican chilies. They feature prominently in many Mexican dishes, including the aforementioned moles, as well as in soups and sauces. In fact, all three of them are sometimes used together in order to achieve a particularly rich and complex flavor.
Ancho Chilies are dried, ripe Poblano peppers. Ancho chilies, like fresh poblanos, are generally low in heat, with a distinctively sweet and raisin-like fruity flavor. Ancho chilies are extremely popular and are often given a starring role in dishes. Like all of the Holy Trinity peppers, they feature in many moles and sauces, but they are also very popular across a broad range of Mexican, Tex-Mex, and fusion dishes.
Mulato Chilies, are dried variety of Poblano pepper, picked when very ripe. Mulato chilies are moderately hot, with a sweet, fruity, slightly smoky flavor. They're highly appreciated for the distinctive chocolate/cherry/licorice notes that they impart to a dish. Mulato chilies are generally the hottest member of the Holy Trinity, though Pasillas can sometimes approach the same level of spice. Mulato chilies are extremely popular in Mexico but are not as well known outside of the country.
Pasilla chilies, (aka chile negro) is a dried, ripe, Chilaca pepper. Pasillas are elongate, thin, and tapering, with wrinkled, nearly black skin. Their flavor is fairly similar to that of an Ancho chili, with raisin and coffee notes. They also tend to be a little hotter than Ancho chilies. Pasilla chilies are the victims of frequent mislabeling and are often confused with Anchos and (oddly) fresh Poblanos. True Pasilla peppers can be a little harder to find than some of the other peppers on this list. In my experience, if the packaging is labeled 'chile negro' however, they're less likely to be misidentified.