Chipotle Morita

Generally, a chipotle is a smoked red ripe jalapeño. Chipotle (pronounced chi-poht-lay) also spelled chilpotle, comes from the Nahuatl word chilpoctli (meaning “smoked chili”) and is used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines.

The two most popular types of chipotle chiles, “Morita” and “Meco”, are both smoked jalapeños. Morita chile peppers are smoked for less time than the Chipotle Meco, leaving them softer and retaining their modest fruity flavor.

Most of the “chipotles” being sold in markets in the United States are Chipotle Moritas. This is because most Chipotle Mecos produced in Mexico are eaten there, leaving little for export. Plus they can be more expensive than Moritas.

Morita means “little blackberry” in Spanish. The color of this smoked chile is dark red, sometimes approaching purple in color. These are the chiles often sold canned adobo sauce.