Re: [CH] RE: You say Mora and I say Morita

Dave Anderson (Chilehead@tough-love.com)
Sun, 5 Mar 2000 11:30:22 -0800

 
> "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