Is one of the most popular chilies in southern Tex-Mex cuisine. Grown mainly on the south of USA and north of Mexico is part of the “capsicum annuum” family and is a multi-stemmed plant. An anaheim pepper is a mild variety of chili pepper. They are also called California chili or Magdalena and dried as “chile seco del norte”. Since anaheim peppers originated from New Mexico, they are also sometimes known as new mexico peppers. Additionally, in New Mexico they are often referred to simply as chilies because they are so many varieties of the pepper grown in New Mexico, and they tend to be hotter than those grown in California.

The chili “heat” of anaheim’s typically ranges from 500 to 2,500 on the Scoville scale however, many varieties grown in New Mexico can reach 4,500 to 5,000 Scoville units. The size and shape of regular Anaheim chili pods is 7-10 inches long and 1-2 inches wide. The chili peppers can be used in green and red color, with different flavor profile and heat ranging from low to mild. This chili is used in many Mexican and New Mexican dishes.