> "Your Chipotles in Adobo are probably smoked Jalapenos. The two > most common smoked Jalapenos are Tipico and Morita. Tipico is > smoked for a longer time and is richer in flavor and is more > expensive. It is almost never exported. Morita is smoked for a > shorter time and is often marketed as Tipico. Welcome to the > world of Chile fraud:-)." > > Mark Miller mentions a "Mora" in _The_Great_Chile_Book_ as well as the > "Morita." On p. 100 he indicates they both are smoked jalapenos, but the > diameters he gives for "Morita" are a bit narrower (0.375") than those for > "Mora" (0.50 to 0.75"). In addition, the illustration on the facing page > 101 shows the "Moritas" have proportions more like dried serranos rather > than jalapenos. They sure look like Serranos to me. > > The ending "-ita" is clearly a diminutive suggesting "smaller Mora," but > how does that get to be? Do these start out as smaller-variety jalapenos > that ripen before they get typical size? Could Moritas be smoked, ripe > serranos? Indeed they could. Jean Andrews "The Pepper Lady's Pocket Pepper Primer" lists other names for Jalapenos as: Acorchado, Bola, Bolita, Candelaria, Cuaresmeno, Gorda, Huachinango, Jarocho, Mora & Morita. Otros nombres por Serranos: Balin, Chile Verde, Cora, Morita, Serranito & Tipico. So I guess that a Jalap can be a Mora or Morita, but a Serrano can be a Morita, but not a Mora:-) > > One other question deals with whether unripe jalapenos are used for > smoking. What might these be called? According to DeWitt's "The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia" Jalapeno chico is defined as: "Jalapenos that are smoked while still green. Usually, they are culls from the fresh market that need to be preserved, and the smoke-drying process obscures any blemishes." > > Whatever the answer to these questions, Dave's lead sentence is apt: "Good > question, and there are possibly several answers depending on where in > Chiledom you are." > > I guess that is my license to call my home-smoked ripe serranos "Moritas" > and home-smoked ripe jalapenos "Moras." There is a good story in the April issue of Chile Pepper Magazine about the editor's attempt to resolve the Poblano/Pasilla/Ancho naming problem at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. Chile Pepper has been reformatted, has a new editor, and I'm impressed enough that I think I'll subscribe again after a 3 year absence. Dave Anderson Tough Love Chile Co. http://www.tough-love.com