Chilhuacle Rojo

When dried, the Chilhuacle Rojo has a reddish-brown exterior and offers a complex flavor profile featuring notes of fruit, nuts, and a mild heat. It is a crucial, irreplaceable ingredient for creating the rich, authentic flavor of certain traditional Oaxacan cuisines.

This specific chile pepper variety is cultivated almost exclusively in the Cañada region of Oaxaca, Mexico. The specific microclimate of this region is required to produce the chile's unique flavor and physical characteristics.

The Chilhuacle Rojo is one of three chilhuacle types, alongside the Chilhuacle Negro and Chilhuacle Amarillo. While the Rojo provides fruity and nutty notes, the Negro is much darker and is famously the foundational ingredient in Oaxacan black mole (mole negro).

Chilhuacle Rojo chiles are quite expensive due to their low agricultural yields and highly limited geographic cultivation zone in Oaxaca. Because they cannot easily be grown elsewhere and face threats from climate change, their commercial supply is strictly limited compared to other Mexican chiles.