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.”
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.
