In New Mexico chile is the state’s largest agricultural crop. It is consumed at every meal, celebrated in songs and at festivals, and is the subject of the Official New Mexico State Question "Red or Green?"
It is estimated to be uttered between 175,000 to 200,000 times a day in New Mexico. The queston referes to the color of chile you want on your food. If you can’t decide, just say "Christmas" and you will get both red and green on the same plate.
Chile has long been used in folk medicine. It’s been found to pack an antibacterial punch!
You’ll find the pepper pods in mayonnaise, lozenges, liniments and pepper sprays. Loaded with nutrients including calcium, iron and vitamins A and C, chile is also used to relieve headaches and decorate homes with ristras. It’s been known to provide a color boost to fading flamingos.
The most common way to test chile pungency is to taste the pod. This method, although quick and cost effective, may leave the tester in pain. Thee are two other ways of testing pungency as well, the Scoville organoleptic test and high performance liquid chromatography.
The power of chiles is enough to inspire mythology and folk tales, so it is not surprising that some people believe in its ability to control our minds, or at least our bodies. While it is true that many chile lovers exhibit distinctly druggie habits- we’ve seen people who travel with a stash of hot sauce or even Texans with tiny chilipiquin pods in silver snuff boxes. Chile is not a truly addicting substance.
One of the commonest household uses of chile peppers in cultures all over the world is burning them as a fumigant for vermin ranging from bedbugs to rats. Since fumigation in ancient times was also beleived to be protection against vampires and werewolves, we have a good introduction to the concept of the magical powers of peppers.
"Chile is used as an amulet, probably because of its well-known protective pharmacological properties, and in religious cermonies, withcraft, and conjuring; its fiery potency is considered a powerful means to any end," observed Beatrice Roeder, author of Chicano Folk Medicine from Los Angeles, California.
In a ritual from Coahuila, Mexico, chiles are instrument in countering the effects of "salting" a ritual to cast a spell on a person to cause them harm, particularly mental problems. Such witchcraft is called maleficio in Mexico. To cast the spell, the evildoer gathers dirt from the grave of a person who died a violent death. Then he or she gathers salt from the homes of three widows, or from the homes of three women anmed Jane (Juana). The salt is mixed with the soil and is sprinkled in front of the door of the victim.
If the victim finds the salt and soil, he or she burns it immediately and then must counter whatever evil effects are left by smoking them out. To accomplish this sahumerio ritual, on the first Friday of the month, hot coals are placed in a bucket and myrrh, storax, the peeling of a clove of garlic, rosemary, rue, star anise, and Chiltepin chiles are added. The victim carries the smouldering bucket throughout the house, adding extra smoke to the corners where evil may hide, while reciting a prayer that evil depart and good arrive through the sahumerio.
Chiles are considered to be a cleanser of evil eye (mal de ojo), bad luck, and bewitchment among Hispanics in United States, a practice imported from Mexico. This parallels usage among Native Americans in Guatemala. When a child is thought to have the evil eye, the parents spray the child’s face with a mixture of rue, then a little aguardiente (liquor usually brandy), mixed with a crushed hot pepper, is rubbed on the child’s feet. Another cure for the evil eye calls for mixing a little annatto seed with chile peppers in a cloth bag and passing it over the child’s body while making the sign of the cross. Then the bag is thrown into a fire.
In a remarkable parallel usage between totally different cultures, the East Indian population of Trinidad wraps seven red pepper pods with salt, onion skins, and garlic skins in paper and passes it seven times around a baby to remove jajor, the evil eye, which is believed to cause unnecessary crying. Also, green chiles are dropped around the doorway to keep away evil spirits.
Interestingly, however, some cultures believe that the chiles themselves can bring on trouble. Black Hispanics from islands like Cuba and Hispanola, believe that red pepper pods on a doorstep are the sign of a malignant influence, and may give a man the "hot foot." Likewise, chiles are associated with the luban oko, or "red demon" of the Tsachila or Colorados Indians of the Amazon. This demon is said to suck the blood out of its victims, leaving them "as white as a boiled yuca." The chiles are burned in a fire while being served in food and the demon is foiled in two ways; he is asphyxiated by the fumes, and he cannot eat any of the food because it is too spicy. Again there is the recurrent image of burning, and this time it is specifically related to the heat of the chiles.
In the American Southwest there is a fascinating witchcraft cure. Two nails are tied together in the shape of a cross with a piece of wire. It is placed in a fire and when it is red hot, it is removed from the fire and placed on a rock. A ristra (string) of small chiles is placed on it, and then some rock salt. The resulting vapors are said to banish any witchcraft in the area.
In the Ozarks and deep South of the United States, an African-American legend holds that in order for peppers to grow out and be hot, you have to be very angry when you plant them. The best peppers are said to be planted by a lunatic!
New Mexico Chile Recipes:
Ol Gringo Green Chile, Pasta and Chicken
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lg. onion diced
2 chicken breasts diced
1/2 jar Ol’ Gringo Green Chile
Garlic salt and Pepper
2 tsp. Basil
2 tsp. minced garlic
6 sliced mushrooms
1 10oz. pkg. pasta, cooked
In frying pan, saute chicken in olive oil until white. Add garlic onions, basil, mushrooms and green chile sauce, simmer 5 minutes. Serve on past a sprinkled with Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese.
New Mexico Stuffed Sopaipillas with Red Chile
Follow directions on Sopaipilla mix and roll out very thin (about 1/16" thick). Cut in a round pattern, about the size of a plate. Fry as directed. If you prefer a stuffed Sopaipilla, roull dough 1/8" thick and fry. The following ingredients will be layered on top or stuffed into the cavity of the Sopaipilla
1 lb. ground beef (browned, salt and pepper as desired)
1 jar Ol’ Gringo Red Chile Sauce (heated-add dash of garlic salt)
1 15oz. can refried beans (heated)
1/2 lb. grated longhorn or colby cheese
1 sm. red onion (Diced)-optional
1 med tomato (diced)
1/2 head lettuce (chopped)
Salsa- optional
Mix together browned ground beef and Ol’ Gringo Red Chile. Place a thin layer of hot refried beans onto the Sopaipillas, next a layer of the beef/chile mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, onions tomatoes and lettuce.
It’s Not Dead Yet Hot Salsa
5 whole habaneros, seeded
10 whole tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 whole Vidalia onions, skinned
6 whole sweet red peppers, seeded
2 whole smoked habaneros
3 whole chipotel peppers
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 ounces balsamic vinegar
Process ingredients in a blender individually in order listed until you reach the dried peppers and place in a non-reactive container. Place Smoked Habs and Choptles in blender and drain juice from mixture in bowl into the blender and process. Add to the mixture in the bowl. Add cumin and stir well. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top. Let marinate overnight
Avocado and Kiwi Salsa
If making a day ahead, do not add the avocado until as soon as possible before serving, as it will turn brown if cut for more than a few hours ahead.
1 1/2 cup finely diced kiwi
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions or green onions; green part included, thinly sliced
1 or more chopped fresh serrano chiles, according to taste
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 medium-sized firm-ripe (not soft) avocados, diced
salt to taste
Mix the kiwi, cilantro, green onion, chiles, and lime juice in a bowl. The avocado should be tossed in gently, so that the cubes retain their shape.
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