Pasilla (chile pasilla) or “little raisin” properly refers to the dried chilaca pepper, a popular Mexican chili pepper. The chilaca pepper, when fresh, is also known as pasilla bajio, or as the chile negro or “Mexican negro” because, while it starts off dark green, it ends up dark brown in color. It typically grows from 8 to 10 inches long. Pasilla peppers are very popular in Mexican cuisine and cooking, particularly for making sauces like moles, table sauces and salsas. The peppers are also ground into a powder for similar uses or for use as seasonings. Many peppers in Mexico are dried for culinary purposes, earning an entirely new name because the flavors, characteristics and uses change completely. The “chile pasilla”, along with ancho peppers and guajillo peppers, are sometimes said to comprise the “holy trinity” of Mexican chile peppers, sometimes along with the dark mulato pepper, though that is a very loose term. I’ve also seen recipes for “roasted pasilla peppers” or “stuffed pasilla peppers”, but in reality, those recipes are using fresh poblano peppers. Learn more about ancho peppers here. Got any questions? Contact me anytime. – Mike H. NOTE: This page was updated on 4/7/20 to include new information. It was originally published on 9/20/13.
