Bubbabob > wrote:

(Steve Pope) wrote:

>> Is there any difference?

>Flavor. Definitely flavor.

>Same species, very different cultivar. Arbols are also usually much smaller
>than cayennes and less fleshy.

>If you're buying powdered chiles they're probably too old and oxidized for
>the differences to be obvious.

Well, possibly, but I used dried chilis alot and there are definite
culinary difference over fresh chilis that can be used to advantage.
Furthermore fresh chilis, of a given variety, are not alwasy
in season.

The main thing I'm wondering about is whether there's enough
of a difference between these two products that I should keep
both on hand. I'm leaning towards "probably not", but so
far I instinctively put cayenne into an Italian dish, and arbol
into a Mexican dish.

Steve