Chipotle vs Ancho

The two most common dried chillies in a British cupboard, and they do different jobs. A chipotle is a jalapeño ripened red and smoked, and smoke is the dominant note — that is why it exists, since a jalapeño's thick walls make ordinary drying impractical. An ancho is a poblano ripened red and dried in the sun, and it tastes sweet and raisiny with a little tobacco.

They also differ in heat, and by more than people expect. A chipotle carries the jalapeño's heat concentrated by drying, so it has real warmth. An ancho is very mild — mild enough to use in quantity as the body of a sauce rather than as a source of heat. That is the practical difference: ancho is a bulk ingredient, chipotle is a seasoning used sparingly.

Chipotle comes in two forms that are not interchangeable either. Meco is the traditional one, smoked long and hard until leathery and grey-brown. Morita is smoked briefly, stays soft and dark red, and is what most shops sell — and chipotles in adobo are moritas stewed in a tomato and vinegar sauce, which brings its own acidity with it.