Capsicum annuum Seeds | Mulato Chile Pepper Mulato
LATIN NAME: Capsicum annuum
COMMON NAME: Mulato Pepper
Plant Profile
Mulato is a poblano-type chile grown for drying rather than for the fresh market, ripening from dark green to a deep brown-black that is almost the colour of chocolate. Pods are broad, heart-shaped, 10-15 cm long, with thick flesh that dries to a leathery, wrinkled skin.
The flavour is the reason the variety exists: sweet, smoky and raisin-like, with a low heat of 1,000-2,000 Scoville units. It is one of the three chiles in a classic mole poblano, alongside pasilla and ancho, and it carries the darkest colour of the trio.
Mulato is a distinct cultivar rather than simply a dried poblano. Poblanos for drying are picked fully ripe and dried slowly, and the mulato type has been selected for colour and sweetness over several centuries in Puebla.
Science & Biotechnology
The dark colour comes from anthocyanins and from browning reactions during slow drying, and the sweetness from concentrated sugars as the fruit loses water. Drying is therefore a flavour-developing process, not just a preservation step, and a fast-dried mulato tastes flatter than a slow-dried one.
Capsaicin levels are low but the fruit still contains the full complement of volatile compounds that give chile its aroma. Those volatiles are what make mole work: the chile contributes depth rather than heat, and the heat in the dish comes from other ingredients.
The poblano group also includes the ancho, which is the dried form of a different, red-ripening cultivar. Confusion in catalogues is common, and the practical distinction is colour and sweetness: ancho is brick red and sharper, mulato is near-black and sweeter.
Uses & Benefits
Mulato is a mole chile first, toasted lightly and soaked before blending with nuts, seeds, spices and chocolate. It also goes into adobo sauces, into black bean dishes and into marinades for pork. The flesh is thick enough to stuff when fresh, and the dried pods can be ground into a dark chile powder.
Fresh mulatos can be roasted and peeled like any poblano, though the variety is grown mainly for drying. In the garden the plant is a good producer in a long season, and the dark fruit is handsome enough for a border. Commercially the variety is a specialist item sold dried in Mexican markets and through spice importers.
Growing from Seed
Sow at 24-28°C, 5 mm deep, eight to ten weeks before planting out, and give the seed two to three weeks to germinate. Grow on in strong light at 18-20°C, since the plants set fruit poorly in shade.
Plant out at 50 cm apart in full sun and rich, well-drained soil once nights are above 12°C. Water steadily, mulch well, and feed with potassium from flowering onward. The fruit needs a long season to ripen fully: in cool climates start early and grow under cover. For drying, leave the pods on the plant until they are fully coloured and beginning to wrinkle, then finish them in a warm airy place.
Our Take
A chile for the store cupboard rather than the dinner plate, and the one that makes a mole taste like a mole rather than a spicy sauce.
Related Reading
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