FAMILY HEIRLOOMS
From seeds passed down through a long line of farmers, Don Chava has grown chiles de agua in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca for more than 50 years
Author: Catherine Tansey
From seeds passed down through a long line of farmers, Don Chava has grown chiles de agua in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca for more than 50 years
"You could give me 10 different roasted chillies together and I’d be able to tell you this one — this is chile de agua," says Bernardino Salvador Arellanes Cruz, known in his community as Don Chava. A key ingredient in the culinary culture of Oaxaca’s Central Valleys, chile de agua is an endemic, heirloom chilli found in some of the region’s most characteristic dishes. Waxy, smooth and shiny, it grows upright and can be pale yellow, lime green, orange or fire-engine red, depending on its ripenes...