Delicious cheese bread with hatch chiles throughout. Photo by Jim Schnur.
One of the best things about traveling to a different place is learning the local food culture. While some people prefer consistency -- visiting a restaurant chain they've tethered themselves to back home -- I have always enjoyed experiencing the foodways common along the pathways I've traveled.
In New Mexico, I have many tasty food adventures to enjoy. Some involve new takes on familiar dishes, while others add a new spice and flavor to dishes I've never before tried. Many of these meals include a local staple: the Hatch chile.
A common sight at Albertsons markets in New Mexico: Hatch chile chicken. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Significant Symbolism
Chile peppers hold a special place in New Mexican culture, as well as a prominent place on many menus and tables in the Land of Enchantment. The popular varieties cultivated today trace their origins to lands south of the present-day United States.
Similar to citrus in Florida, tomatoes in Italy, and potatoes in Ireland, the progenitors of these popular peppers came to New Mexico from distant destinations. Although their exact date of arrival remains uncertain, they most likely traveled with Spanish explorers and colonists who arrived in the 1500s or early 1600s.
The chile became an integral part of the Puebloan diet, even in areas where the Spaniards retreated. As a northern extension of the Spanish empire in the Americas, Nuevo México experienced a distinct food culture that fused Native, Mexican, and mainland Spanish traditions. Anglo, Mediteranean, and Asian influences came later, and the chile remained a consistent ingredient on the expanding palate.
The chile has gained recognition in the capitol building, known as the "Roundhouse," in Santa Fe. Image courtesy of the Herbert E. Striner Collection, American University, Washington, D.C.
Although actually a seed-bearing berry classified as a fruit, the chile shares with pinto beans (frijoles) the distinction of gaining recognition as one of New Mexico's two state vegetables. Legislators decided in 1996 to make New Mexico the first state to have an official state question: "Red or Green?" This refers to an individual's chile preference. Those who enjoy both often respond with, "Christmas."
A designated chile roasting area in front of the El Super grocery store at Central Avenue and Atrisco Drive NW, Albuquerque. Photo by Jim Schnur.
In March 2023, New Mexico became the first state to have an official state aroma. At the urging of school students, lawmakers passed a bill that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed to recognize the "smell of roasting chiles," a common scent in the fall, as the state aroma.
Dried chiles ranging from medium to extra hot, based on taste. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Perfecting the Pepper
Popular New Mexican chiles today usually hail from the Hatch Valley, a fertile area along the Rio Grande approximately 170 miles south-southwest of Albuquerque and 40 miles northwest of Las Cruces. Site of the annual Hatch Chile Festival every Labor Day weekend, the area's soils also support other crops, including pecans.
Hatch, New Mexico, as it appeared in 1982. Image courtesy of the Chester H. Liebs Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico.
Similar to the way strawberries became associated with Plant City in the Tampa Bay area and orange groves once covered extensive acreage in central Florida, Hatch chiles have developed a distinct identity. Also known by some as the Anaheim pepper when grown outside of New Mexico, their taste and characteristics are the product of scientific innovation, as well as geography.
All of the most popular versions of New Mexico chiles harvested today owe their existence to work that occurred at the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now New Mexico State University (NMSU), in the late 1800s and 1900s. Dr. Fabián García, a horticulturalist at the institute, developed new pepper pod-types that became the basis for New Mexican chiles today.
A native of Mexico, García fostered many agriculatural innovations that helped to transform New Mexican food culture. Some of his students continued this tradition. Since 1992, NMSU has maintained the Chile Pepper Institute on its Las Cruces campus as a center that continues this important research.
Large sacks of dried red chiles are common in many groceries and markets. The price label at this Albuquerque store has the non-New Mexican spelling, "chili." Photo by Jim Schnur.
Spelling Matters, as Does Description
Some smartphones lack wisdom when their owners text about this New Mexican delicacy. Occasionally, the technology mistakenly corrects "chile" by capitalizing the word as if the message is about a South American country ("Chile"). Other times, the word typed reverts to the word given to a popular dish that often includes chile ("chili").
Roasted chile is regularly available at El Super in Albuquerque. Although the spelling of "chile" on this sign abides by traditions in Nuevo México, the spelling of "Neuvo" is problematic! Photo by Jim Schnur.
While purists prefer the "chile" spelling, there is greater flexibility for a popular Mexican and New Mexican dish that often includes chile: Posole (or, more commonly in Mexico, pozole) is a soup made from hominy, meat, chiles, and seasoning. Posole is often served "rojo" (with a red sauce) or "verde" (with a green sauce). Some New Mexican versions of posole incorporate a different type of corn than the hominy commonly used elsewhere.
Red chile, masa de maíz, and posole mix in your New Mexican grocer's freezer. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Whether you spell posole/pozole with an "s" or a "z," please don't assume that New Mexican dishes and the chiles often included within them are simply an offshoot of Tex-Mex. Although similarities exist, New Mexican dishes often have much stronger connections to Native American cooking traditions. Some of these distinctions will be explored in future posts.
Ristras and Recipes
Similar to the decorative jars of pickled fruits and vegetables placed in some kitchens and living rooms, dried chiles sometimes make a fashion statement at New Mexican homes and markets. When arranged in ornamental fashion, these dried chiles joined together and hanging from patios, fences, entryways, and interiors are known as a ristra.
Ristras adorning a pathway in Albuquerque's Old Town, November 2013. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Originally a practical way to carry and store dried red chiles used for cooking, the ristra has become a popular decoration adorning some homes and businesses throughout New Mexico. Although more commonly found during the fall harvesting season--similar to pumpkins in October and November and wreaths during Christmas--some people keep their ristras hung throughout the year.
For most New Mexicans, an even more attractive portrayal of chiles happens not while hanging from a ristra, but while roasting before a meal. The variety of flavors and intensity available from these chiles makes them a great addition to everything from eggs in the morning, to a wide-array of lunch and dinner dishes.
In the 505 and 575 (New Mexican area codes), roasted chile options thrive. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Yes, sun-dried or flame-roasted red and green chiles adorn many traditional Mexican dishes. Beyond that, they serve as a spicy ingredient in many other recipes. Biscochitos, the state's official cookie, come in many variations, including some created by bakeries that include New Mexican pecans and green chiles.
Similar to the way that some coffee blends--including popular ones out of New Orleans--blend brews with chicory, the piñon pine nuts of the American Southwest often are incorporated into New Mexican coffees. Along with piñons, some roasters also have a tradition of creating spicy seasonal brews that have hints of chile roasted in the beans within them.
Frozen chiles come in a variety of spice intensities. Photo by Jim Schnur.
Any New Mexican restaurant that offers hamburgers and wants to stay in business will include at least one option that includes chiles. While Blake's Lotaburger has offered chiles as a topping since the first hamburger stand opened in Albuquerque in 1952, even the Texas-based Whataburger chain respects the topping. Chiles are often part of the "secret menu," if not on the regular menu.
Ending this post on a sweet note, know that this New Mexican treasure has also found its way into many dessert recipes. Whether you like cobbler, pie, ice cream, or a bagel with cream cheese, having a little Hatch chile flavor is pleasing as your food and drink go down the hatch!
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