Original
5 oz bottle
A road trip. A tiny pepper. A lasting obsession.
OUR JOURNEY TO SONORA.
We crossed the border into Sonora, Mexico, on a spontaneous road trip. In a Hermosillo steakhouse, a little pepper on the table changed the way we thought about desert flavor.
Meet Chiltepin: the wild chile we brought back to the Desert Dust kitchen.
Originally published November 3, 2024
Hermosillo, Mexico
A STEAKHOUSE DISCOVERY.
Hermosillo is known for steak and generous flour tortillas. At a local steakhouse, we noticed small, hand-carved pepper grinders on every table.
Made from ironwood, they held Chiltepin peppers. A few turns over dinner were enough to make us curious.
Ironwood (Olneya tesota) grows slowly in the Sonoran Desert. Its dense, dark wood gives these handmade grinders their distinctive character.
Wild desert heat
SMALL PEPPER. BIG CHARACTER.
Chiltepin grows wild in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. These tiny peppers are also called “bird peppers” because birds help spread their seeds.
The heat hits quickly, then fades, leaving room for the flavor of your food. In Sonora, Chiltepin is part of everyday cooking, from aguachile to chile colorado.
That bright, distinctive heat stayed with us long after the road trip.
Bring a little Sonora home.
CHILTEPIN CACTUS GIFT SET
$44.95
A handmade cactus grinder, whole Chiltepin peppers, and a little desert character for your table.
- HANDMADE CACTUS GRINDERAn artisanal saguaro-shaped grinder with an owl topper.
- WHOLE CHILTEPIN PEPPERSIncludes a 0.3 oz jar of Chiltepin peppers.
- GRIND AT THE TABLEAdd a few peppers, insert the topper and grind over your meal.
- KEEP IT. REFILL IT.Top up the grinder with whole Chiltepin peppers as you go.
