Dave DeWitt

With the publication of The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking (Timber Press, 2009), Dave DeWitt will likely cement his title as Chile Guru. DeWitt and coauthor Paul W. Bosland have previously written numerous articles and books on New Mexico’s most favorite export, and their new book is packed with more than 300 pages of everything chile, from botany to recipes. The Albuquerque author, who calls Las Cruces his second home, is also the founder of the wildly popular Fiery Foods & BBQ Show, an expo that celebrated its 22nd year in the Duke City this March. Jeff Berg recently caught DeWitt out of the kitchen.

Q: Describe your introduction to chile.

A: I came to New Mexico on vacation in July 1974, and some relatives decided to “burn out the gringo” with a hot green-chile stew. I sweated and hiccupped, but I loved it, and the scenery and culture. I moved here in November 1974 with no job, no connections, and no money, determined to start a writing career, which I did.

The new book is incredibly detailed, fun, and complete—10,000 different chiles . . . who knew? How long did the research take?

I took more than 20 years, as the book is the accumulation of all of our knowledge on the subject of selecting, growing, putting up, and cooking with chiles. But since it was an accumulation, the actual writing and photography took only about a year.

What’s your favorite food that doesn’t contain chile—or would that even qualify as food?

Italian food, which is becoming spicier these days. Italy is my favorite country to visit, and there are many, many chileheads in the country.

How are your taste buds holding out, and what’s the best beverage to put out a mouth fire?

I like my food medium-hot, and do not like superhot anything. Dairy products are the best, the thicker the better. The protein called casein strips capsaicin molecules from the capsaicin receptors in your mouth and relieves the burn.

Do you think New Mexico is the place for chile in the U.S. and/or the world?

In the United States, certainly. In the world, China is the largest dried-chile producer and India the largest fresh-chile producer. Koreans eat the most chiles per capita.

On learning that New Mexico is the chile capital of the United States, Las Cruces writer Jeff Berg noted, “Take that, Texans!”

 

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