Other names: Chile verde, California green chile

Availability: All-Year

Source: Mexico and the United States.

Handling Tips: 45°F. Keep dry.

General Information: Anaheim peppers are long, round-tipped green or red peppers. Very mild, medium sized chile to 6-10", often used when green. Their Scoville heat rating is 500-1000. The basic variety ripens to a dark green/reddish color, but other strains ripen to full red. They are one of the most common chiles in the United States and are used in many foods for flavoring. Red varieties are strung together and used to make ristras. The Anaheim Chile Pepper is sold fresh and is also available roasted, dried, or canned in many food stores. It may at times, be referred to as the New Mexico chile, but the actual New Mexico chile has a slightly hotter flavor. When canned, this chile is typically labeled simply as "green chiles".

Applications: Anaheim chiles are a good complement to egg dishes, stews, and vegetable dishes or it can be added to fruit salsas. Recipes for Chiles Rellenos is one of many food dishes that uses the Anaheim Chile Pepper as a pepper to hold stuffed ingredients.

History: These were developed by Dr. Fabian Garcia in New Mexico about 100 yrs ago who was seeking a chile pepper that was bigger, fleshier, and milder. They got the name "Anaheim" when a farmer named Emilio Ortega brought these seeds to the Anaheim area in the early 1900's.