Poblano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Poblano |
|
|---|---|
Poblano pepper
|
|
| Species | Capsicum annuum |
| Origin | Puebla, Mexico |
| Heat |  Low |
| Scoville scale | 1,000–1,500 SHU |
The poblano (Capsicum annuum) is a type of mild chili pepper that comes from the state of Puebla, Mexico. When this pepper is dried, it's called an ancho or chile ancho. The word ancho means "wide" in Spanish. Poblanos are often used in a popular Mexican dish called chiles rellenos poblanos, where they are stuffed, roasted, and cooked.
While most poblanos have a mild taste, some can be surprisingly spicy. Even peppers from the same plant can have different levels of heat! The red poblano, which is fully ripe, is usually hotter and has more flavor than the green, less ripe poblano.
There's a pepper called the mulato that is very similar to the poblano. It's darker, sweeter, and softer. Sometimes, the pasilla pepper is mistakenly called a "poblano," especially in the United States. But they are actually different types of peppers.
How Poblano Peppers Grow
The poblano plant grows like a bush with many stems. It can reach about 64 centimeters (25 inches) tall. The peppers themselves are usually 8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) long and 5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches) wide.
When a poblano is young, it's a dark purplish-green color. As it gets older and ripens, it turns a very dark red, almost black.
Poblanos grow best in places with warm weather, like hardiness zones 10–12. They prefer soil that is slightly basic, with a pH between 7.0 and 8.5. These plants like a lot of sunlight. They might need extra support for their growing peppers in late summer when it's time to harvest.
It takes about 200 days for a poblano to grow from a seed to a pepper ready for harvest. The soil needs to be at least 18 °C (64 °F) for the seeds to sprout.
Using Poblano Peppers in Cooking
Poblano peppers are used in many ways. They can be dried, stuffed, or added to famous Mexican sauces like mole. Sometimes, they are coated in whipped egg and fried.
Poblanos are very popular during Mexico's independence celebrations. They are a key ingredient in a dish called chiles en nogada. This dish uses green, white, and red ingredients, which are the colors of the Mexican flag. Many people in Mexico see this as one of their country's most important dishes. Poblanos are also commonly used in the well-known dish chile relleno.
You can find poblanos in grocery stores in the United States, especially in states near Mexico and in big cities.
After poblanos are roasted and peeled, their waxy skin comes off, which makes them taste better. They can then be kept for several months by canning or freezing them in airtight containers. When a poblano is dried, it becomes a wide, flat, heart-shaped pepper called a chile ancho. These dried ancho chiles are often ground into a powder. This powder is used to add flavor to many different dishes.
The word "Poblano" also refers to a person from Puebla, Mexico. And mole poblano is a spicy chocolate chili sauce that also comes from Puebla.
Gallery
-
A fresh poblano chile
-
A dried poblano is called a "chile ancho"
See also
In Spanish: Chile poblano para niños
