Is a chili not a chili when it is dried?

[lsdesign]

I was scolded by a person at a health food store when I asked for canned chili peppers,
Chipotles in Adobo sauce. She maintained that these are not chilies. ALl I know is that Chipotles are dried Poblanos, at least I think they are. Is a chili not a chili when it is dried?

[Shirley Panek]

From the Cook's Thesaurus:

chipotle pepper (chile) = smoked jalapeno pepper = chile seco Pronunciation: chuh-POT-lay Notes: These lend a wonderful smoky flavor to sauces. They're usually canned in adobo sauce, but you can also buy the dried peppers in cellophane bags. Substitutes: (for chipotles in adobo sauce) 1 tablespoon catsup + 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke + 1 jalapeno pepper OR morita (smaller) OR mora OR ancho (larger and milder)

I'm not a big chile expert, but I would say chiles are chiles whether they are fresh or dried. (At least the Cook's Thesaurus calls them chiles even when they're dried.)

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Shirley

[sneezles]

Chilis are peppers when they are not dried but canned chipoltes in adobe sauce are in fact dried before they are mixed with the sauce so therefore are in fact chilis!

OK so after shooting of my loud mouthed opinion I looked it up in the Kitchen Companion I got for Christmas. And all the things I think of as peppers, jalapeno, anaheim, ancho, serrano, habanero, etc., are listed as a chile not a pepper. Bell peppers are listed as peppers. Then my other encyclopedia says the plant is the chile and the fruit is the pepper. So who knows? But I think that clerk was rude to make you feel like you didn't know the difference!

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 01-16-2001).]

[mb]

i think chipotles are dried, smoked jalapenos (or maybe poblanos). i think dried chilis are still chilis, but the name could change.

i guess it's the same way with fruits - dried plums are prunes, so why can't dried jalapenos (or poblanos) be chipotles???!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Marcie]

Someone can correct this if I'm wrong:

I think chipotles are jalapenos allowed to mature until they're red. Then dried/smoked/canned for the product we all now know and love.