Pasilla Bajio is usually grown for its rich, smoky and mildly hot flavor which is indispensable in many Mexican sauces. "Pasilla" means "the little raisin" in Spanish and is referring to the dark brown, wrinkled pod once dried. The pods are called "chilaca" when fresh. Pasilla Bajio produce narrow cylindrical pods that are 6-10 inches long these are produced on vigorous plants. The peppers turn from dark green to dark brown, and are almost black when fully mature.
Like many hot peppers Pasilla Bajio comes to us from Mexico. Although classified as a hot pepper, the Pasilla Bajio is a slightly sweet, mild, and is a very rich-flavoured pepper with pods that ripen to a wrinkled chocolate brown. They measure about 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville units on the heat scale.
