Reg wrote..., On 10/07/2005 09:31:
> Karen wrote:
>
>> Does roasted pasilla have a different name (like roasted jalepeno is
>> chipotle I think)?
>
>
> Roasted, no. Dried, yes. A pasilla is a dried chilaca,
> but some (I think it's a CA/regional thing) refer to a dried
> poblano as "pasilla", which it's not. There are two main
> types of dried poblano, ancho and mulato. Neither is
> properly called a pasilla.
>
> Also, chipotle is a smoked jalapeno, not roasted.

I checked a few links and there is considerable confusion of terms,
but yeah, this chile pasilla I've got is not smoked, just ground
dried very dark purple/black chile. I've got some chile ancho
powder and it is medium-tan in color.

I tried to look up the species name, but it seems most chiles are
"Capsicum annum" with C. frutescens/chinese/pubescens/baccatum
making up the others. Aren't there any formal names for the
various varieties/subspecies?