• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
✮ The Food Dictator ✮

The Hirshon Smoked Chilean Chili Pepper Spice Mix – Merkén Especial

July 9, 2019 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

324
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditWhatsappYummly
Light Dark Dark Light
()
The Hirshon Smoked Chilean Chili Pepper Spice Mix - Merkén Especial
Merkén Especial Image Used Under Creative Commons License From veganguerilla.de

Citizens! With Summer now in full swing, the need to BBQ courses through my veins like sweet, sweet adrenaline – and what better way to grill than with a smoky spice blend that will add unmatched heat and savor to your next meal? This is a unique condiment made with an extremely rare smoked chili from Chile – allow me to educate your mind and palate alike about this phenomenal spice blend!

Merkén or merquén (from the Mapuche mezkeñ) is a smoked chili pepper (or in Spanish, ají) used as a condiment that is often combined with other ingredients when in ground form. Merkén is a traditional condiment in Mapuche Indian cuisine in Chile.

The base ingredient of merkén is the smoked pepper “cacho de cabra” (Capsicum annuum var. lungum) a dried, smoked, red pepper that is sometimes ground with toasted coriander seed and salt. The peppers are dried naturally in the sun and are then smoked over a wood fire. They are then stored by being hung to dry prior to grinding. Once reduced to powder or flakes, the peppers are often mixed with salt and roasted ground coriander seed.

Commercially, merkén pepper with only an addition of salt is known as “natural merken” (merkén natural), while “special merkén” (merkén especial) contains coriander seeds. The composition of special merkén is about 70% chili, 20% salt, and 10% coriander seed.

Merkén originates primarily from the cuisine of the Mapuches of the Araucanía Region of Chile, but is also used in the Chilean cuisine as a replacement for fresh chili.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, merkén has drawn the attention of professional chefs and has begun to find an international market, at the same time, having a widespread use in Chilean cuisine.

Merkén is most commonly used as:

A general condiment for seasoning dishes such as lentils, gold potatoes, and sautéed vegetables
A dry rub for tuna, lamb, pork, or duck
A sprinkle, spice rub, or boiling spice for seafood including crab
An addition to stews, savory pies, and purees
A spice for ceviches
An addition to cow or goat cheese
An addition to peanuts or salty olives

As noted on fondazioneslowfood.com:

Pablo Neruda describes the Temuco of his childhood as “a pioneering city, without a past but with hardware shops”. Although modernization has changed this image of the city, a visit to the market still transports you to a different world. Temuco is chaotic and full of colorful merchandise.

This is partly due to the high concentration of Mapuche Indians in the area, who come to the market to sell their blue eggs, handmade fabrics, traditional musical instruments, Araucana chickens and bags upon bags of merkén, a smoked chili pepper that fills the air with sweet and spicy aromas.

Merkén is primarily made of a long, pointed chili pepper called aji, or caciocavra in local dialect. The pepper is grown throughout the region and is gathered in February, when it turns from bright green to red. After the harvest, the caciocavra is dried in the sun until it becomes violet-colored.

The dried chilies are smoked for half an hour and then hung from ceilings in wicker baskets directly over a wood fire. After being dried in the sun a second time, the aji is finely ground, in the past with a stone mortar, today mostly in an automatic grinder. Lightly smoked coriander seeds and sea salt are then added to the aji powder. Merkén always contains at least 70% chili powder and never more than 20% salt.

The spice produced is used to flavor soups, meats, omelets and salads, and used to be found on every kitchen table. Today, its use is declining, particularly in cities where, for various reasons, merkén has become a symbol of the poverty of the past, an expression of Indian culture that they would rather leave behind.

Merkén is a flavorsome, hot and strong-smelling mix of spices that serves as an ideal seasoning for grilled, roasted and stewed meat, as well as fish and vegetables. It can also be used to flavor creamed potatoes or to add aroma to other cooked dishes.

The key to this simple but intensely-flavored spice blend is the pepper itself, which thankfully can be purchased in the U.S. from here.

The cacho de cabra from this vendor comes from the Maule region in the center of Chile. The harvest runs from December to March, when temperatures stay above 30° C. These high temperatures give this chile pepper its body, heat, and exceptional flavor. These peppers are harvested by hand, then allowed to sun dry naturally. After being exposed to the sun, the chilies are rested in a mud smoker, usually with local eucalyptus wood, for around a week.

I have very slightly tweaked the classic recipe by using an herbed seasoning salt instead of just straight salt – my preferred brand is this.

All told, this is a very simple recipe that will add all kinds of spicy flavor to your next meal – I hope you see fit to try it forthwith, !

Battle on – the Generalssimo

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
The Hirshon Smoked Chilean Chili Pepper Spice Mix - Merkén Especial

The Hirshon Smoked Chilean Chili Pepper Spice Mix – Merkén Especial


★★★★★

4.3 from 3 reviews

  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 1/2 tsp. dried seeded cacho de cabra pepper flakes
  • 2 1/2 tsp. Jane’s Krazy Salt
  • 1 tsp. coriander seeds

Instructions

  1. If the peppers are leathery they need to be crisped a bit. To grind them properly, place them on a baking sheet and put them in a 350º degree oven. Immediately turn the heat off and let the peppers sit in the oven a few minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet.
  2. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant.
  3. Grind the salt and coriander seed together in a spice mill (coffee grinder) until fairly finely textured. Crumble the peppers into the mill and grind the mixture to whatever consistency you desire. I like it to be between fine and coarse, with pepper flakes and small pieces of coriander still visible.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Category: Recipes

Nutrition

  • Calories: 16.81 kcal
  • Sugar: 0.04 g
  • Sodium: 15.38 mg
  • Fat: 0.28 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.09 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.19 g
  • Fiber: 1.75 g
  • Protein: 0.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thefooddictator on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook and hashtag it #TFD

How useful was this post, Citizen?

Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media, Citizen!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related posts:

The Hirshon Meatloaf
The Hirshon Anglo-Indian Colonel Skinner’s Spicy Mango Chutney
The Hirshon Chinese Dim Sum Radish Cakes - 蘿蔔糕
The Hirshon Klops Meatballs with Sardelle Sauce
The Hirshon Japanese Bamboo Shoots With Kinome and Miso - おちで木の芽和え
The Hirshon Georgian Khinkali – ხინკალი
The Hirshon Jewish Shtetl Black Radish And Chicken Fat Spread - שוואַרץ רעדיש און הינדל פעט
The Hirshon Azorean Bolo Lêvedo

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Condiments

About The Generalissimo

The myth of the Generalissimo is far more interesting than the reality.

Previous Post: « The Hirshon Chinese Pan-Fried Scallion Bread – 葱油发面饼
Next Post: The Hirshon Mexican Deviled Shrimp with Chipotle and Achiote Paste – Camarones a la Diabla con Recado Rojo »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

➤ Citizens – Please Support TFD Nation!

Donate to Help TFD!

⇔ Search, And Ye Shall Assuredly Find!

✮ Citizens ✮

TFD currently has a total of 1,363 posts and 1,159,134 words written since December of 2014! Add your voice to My 50,000+ dedicated readers, comment on My recipes and thus become an active member of TFD Nation! Looking for a particular recipe? Search for it in the box above or via the category tags below - there are THOUSANDS of the finest in world and historic recipes here!

❧ TREMBLE Before Our Categoric Zeal!

Appetizers (145)Beef (143)Beverages (24)Bread (111)Cheese (64)Chicken (132)Chinese (121)Chocolate (16)Condiments (262)Dessert (166)Drinks (23)Duck (20)Egg (47)Fish (56)French (56)Game (30)Georgian (34)Indian (60)Italian (58)Jewish (84)Lamb (73)Manifestos (1)Pasta (90)Pork (147)Salad (40)Sandwich (42)Seafood (84)Shrimp (53)Soup (109)Spices (12)Tofu (7)Turkey (15)Veal (18)Vegetables (108)

✺ Click to Follow Us Across Social Media!

Facebook   

    instagram

☥ TFD SPEAKS!!!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/TFD-Avatar-Cold-Open-FINAL.mp4

 Enjoy TFD’s Mellifluous Podcasts, Citizen!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

© 2023 · The Food Dictator is abjectly served by WORDPRESS

✮ The Food Dictator ✮
Manage Cookie Consent
Citizens!

Be advised that as an enlightened Dictatorship here at TFD, we are indeed on the side of right when it comes to protecting the privacy of TFD Nation!

We do use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information, solely to improve your browsing experience and to show personalized ads.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions - trust us, we really ARE on your side!

YOUR LOYALTY IS NOTED! 🎖️
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
324
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditMailYummly