Pasilla Chile

Pasilla chile is a long, slender dried chile with wrinkled, dark brown-black skin. It brings mild to medium heat with deep, raisin-like sweetness and earthy complexity; toast to bloom aroma, then rehydrate for blending into sauces, salsas, and stews. Common retail forms include whole pods, flakes, and ground powder.\n\nOriginating in Mexico from the fresh chilaca pepper, pasilla became a cornerstone of central and southern Mexican cooking and features prominently in moles and adobos. Traditional production sun-dries or mechanically dries mature peppers, with notable growing and drying regions in states such as Zacatecas and Michoacán.