Poblano

---

title: "Poblano" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chili-peppers", "crops-originating-from-mexico", "capsicum-cultivars"] description: "Mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico" topic_path: "geography/mexico" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poblano" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox cultivar"]

Field	Value
name	Poblano
image	Poblano Pepper.jpg
image_caption	Poblano pepper
species	Capsicum annuum
origin	Puebla, Mexico
module	{{Infobox pepper
embed	yes
heat	Low
scoville	1,000–1,500
::

| name = Poblano | image = Poblano Pepper.jpg | image_caption = Poblano pepper | species = Capsicum annuum | origin = Puebla, Mexico | module = {{Infobox pepper | embed = yes | heat = Low | scoville = 1,000–1,500

The poblano (Capsicum annuum) is a mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish word ancho (wide). Stuffed fresh and roasted, it is popular in chiles rellenos poblanos.

While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably they can have significant heat. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity. The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano.

A closely related variety is the mulato, which is darker in color, sweeter in flavor, and softer in texture. The pasilla pepper is sometimes incorrectly called "poblano", particularly in the United States, but they are distinct from true poblano peppers.

Growth

The bush has multiple stems and can reach 25 in in height. The fruit is 3 to long and 2 to wide. An immature poblano is dark purplish green in color, but the mature fruits eventually turn a red so dark as to be nearly black.

Poblanos grow in hardiness zones 10–12 and do best with a soil pH between 7.0 and 8.5. They typically prefer full sunlight and may require additional support for the growing fruits during harvest in late summer. A poblano takes around 200 days from seed to harvest and requires soil temperatures of at least 64 °F (18 °C) to germinate.

Use

Preparation methods include: dried, stuffed, in mole sauces, or coated in whipped egg (capeado) and fried. It is particularly popular during the Mexican independence festivities as part of a dish called chiles en nogada, which incorporates green, white, and red ingredients corresponding to the colors of the Mexican flag. This may be considered one of Mexico's most symbolic dishes by its nationals. It is also usually used in the widely found dish chile relleno. Poblanos are popular in the United States and can be found in grocery stores in the states bordering Mexico and in urban areas.

After being roasted and peeled (which improves the texture by removing the waxy skin), poblano peppers are preserved by either canning or freezing. Storing them in airtight containers keeps them for several months. When dried, the poblano becomes a broad, flat, heart-shaped pod called a chile ancho (literally "wide chile" or "broad chile"). These dried ancho chiles are often ground into a powder used as flavoring in various dishes.

"Poblano" is also the word for an inhabitant of Puebla, and mole poblano refers to the spicy chocolate chili sauce originating in Puebla.

Gallery

Image:PasillaKnife.jpg|A fresh poblano chile Image:Capsicum annuum ancho dried.jpg|A dried poblano is called a "chile ancho"

References

References

1. (2013). "Spicy Pepper Consumption and Preferences in the United States". HortTechnology.
2. (1997). "The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway". Nature.
3. Burge, Weldon. (1995). "Grow the Best Peppers: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-138". Storey Publishing, LLC.
4. "Ancho: Definition of Ancho in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US)". Oxford University Press.
5. "Growing Poblano Peppers".
6. (November 15, 2014). "Mulato Pepper: The Ancho's Swarthier Cousin". Pepperscale.
7. "Pasilla vs. Poblano".
8. "Pepper, chili". CBS Interactive.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::