Chilhuacle: a culinary heritage at risk of extinction: the words of a Mexican farmer

Abstract

The chilhuacle chili pepper (from the Nahuatl word "chilhuacli," meaning "old chili pepper") is one of the most valuable endemic products in the Mexican market. Its cultivation has traditionally been concentrated in the municipality of San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán, in the Cañada region of Oaxaca, located in the northern part of the state. This region features significant altitude variations, ranging from 300 to 2,000 meters above sea level, conditions that influence the organoleptic and agronomic characteristics of this chili pepper (López-López & Pérez-Bennetts 2015).