Roasting also looses the outermost layer of skin, revealing the tender meat. Being one of, if not the largest variety of green chile, Big Jims are also relatively mild. Any chile shorter than your index finger is likely to send you scurrying for the nearest beer. We drove east and then south through Hatch until the buildings and houses became more sparse and the fields became more prevalent. Amid cotton and corn fields and pecan tree orchards, the chile fields of Hatch produce more than 50,000 dry tons of chile per year, more than any other single fruit or vegetable produced in the state New Mexico.
Locals swear the stuff is addictive.
Fast food restaurants throughout the state, like Wendy's and McDonald's, offer green chile as a condiment. Order chili in Texas, and you'll get a brown concoction full of beans, meat and tomatoes. Order the stuff in California, and you'll get Pace picante sauce. Green chile is as much a part of our culture and heritage as it is a part of our diet. And knowing where it comes from and being around the people whose lives depend on it makes its role in our lives abundantly clear.