Hatch Chile Festival
This Labor Day weekend Melissa and I travelled to Hatch, NM to sample the region’s famous Hatch chiles. Every year they hold a Hatch Chile festival, drawing in around 30,000 visitors annually to partake in the fun. The weekend is filled with food, vendors, and activities all centered around the hatch chile harvest.
As soon as we arrived in Hatch the excitement and passion around the festival was easily apparent. Farm stands along the road were decorated with countless bundles of peppers, and large crowds gathered to watch the peppers tumble through the roasters. Lines of customers ordered their hatch chiles by the pounds, sometimes leaving with multiple 10 pound bags each. Since the season for hatch chiles is relatively short, people travel from all over the state (and the country!) to buy their haul for the year.
What are Hatch chiles?
Hatch chiles are basically just all of the chiles that grow in the Hatch region of New Mexico. Stretching along the Rio grande from Arroyo to the Tonic Mountain south of Hatch, this region’s soil is rich and fertile. Coupled with the perfect climate of strong, sunny days and cool nights, the resulting unique terroir creates distinct and delicious peppers. Think of the various wine regions of the world, each producing their own distinct varieties of wine. So too is the “Chile capital of the World” equally distinguished.
All of the Chile peppers of this region can be traced back to one unique pepper plant, created in 1913 by Fabián García at the New Mexico State University. With an increasing number of people moving to the region, he wanted to create a pepper that was less spicy, to be more widely enjoyed. Years of work led to the New Mexico 9 pepper, the origin of all current New Mexico peppers.
Some of the most popular varieties of Hatch chiles include the Big Jim, Sandia, and New Mexico 6-4. Becuase there are so many varieties, Hatch chiles also vary in heat level. While they range from around 1,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) to around 8,000 SHU, most hatch chiles are fairly mild, around the same heat as a poblano pepper.
Foods We Tried
While at the festival and in New Mexico, Melissa and I tried so many different foods and beverages with peppers. Some of our favorites from the festival included:
Hatch Chile lemonade from the Francy Emilade food truck 
Green Chile pecan brittle from Las Cruces Candy Co
Rancho Duro Sweet and Hot Mustard
From around the state:
Hatch Chile scone from the Bean of Mesilla, in Las Cruces
Green chile biscochito from the Santa Fe Biscochito Company
Red chile raspberry jam milkshake from Urban Hot Dog Company in Albuquerque
Green chile ice cream from La Lecheria, in Santa Fe
French fries with red and green chiles from Apothecary Dining in Santa Fe
Hatch Chile Tasting Notes
After trying so many different Hatch Chiles, we felt they tasted similar to a green bell pepper, but with a bit more heat, smoke, and earthy notes. We think it could pair well in a lot of different applications, to make your product more unique and enticing. Contact us for a sample, and we’d be happy to help with suggestions!
