Chipotle are ripe jalapeños that are smoke-dried - not a chilli variety of its own, but a process. Drying and smoking together create the typically smoky, spiced aroma; how hot the result ends up depends on the variety, the fruit and the processing.
Chipotle, morita, meco and adobo
Morita and meco refer to different chipotle types, or processing styles. Morita is usually darker and softer, meco often lighter and smoked for longer. Exactly how the terms are used can vary by region.
Anyone searching online for chipotle will almost inevitably also come across "adobo" - that's the spiced, usually tomato- or vinegar-based sauce that smoked chipotle chillies are traditionally preserved and pickled in ("chipotle in adobo"). So chipotle is the smoked chilli itself, and adobo is the seasoned sauce around it - two different but closely linked terms.
Flavour, heat and use
Chipotle tastes smoky, earthy and, depending on the source fruit, slightly sweet. With us, it typically ends up in salsas, adobo, rubs, beans, stews and creamy dips.
Why we make our own chipotle chillies
Most chipotle products on the market come from industrial production, often using imported chillies that are already smoked. We do things differently: we grow the chillies for our Simsala Salsa ourselves in Illmitz and then smoke them by hand - from growing to the finished smoky aroma, everything stays in our own hands. You can taste it too: we haven't found this flavour in bought-in chipotle products. Much like our grill sauce Kohlenstoff, that smoky note is, for us, the perfect flavour addition.
Simsala Salsa - our mild interpretation
At heat level 1 out of 12, we've deliberately kept our Simsala Salsa mild - here it's about the smoky-fruity chipotle aroma, not about heat. A fruity tomato base, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar and a fine hint of honey round out our own home-smoked chipotle chillies. Exactly right if you want to get to know the characteristic chipotle flavour without taking on much heat.
What you can use chipotle salsa for
Classically, we make it as a dip for tortilla chips, but it also holds its own with tacos, burritos and quesadillas. One tip from our own kitchen that goes beyond the classic salsa use: mix a little Simsala Salsa with mayonnaise to make a chipotle mayo - the creamy, smoky combination goes brilliantly with burgers, fries and sandwiches.
Handmade in Illmitz, from growing to smoking
From our own chilli plant to the finished salsa in the jar, everything stays in our own hands. If you want to try a smoky, mild chipotle flavour that genuinely comes from our own growing, our Simsala Salsa is the right place to start.