Peppers, masa, coconuts, prickly pears

I cannot claim to be an expert in chile peppers. Even as I type this, I am stuck on the spelling — is it chile or chili or chilli? Apparently all three are used interchangeably in regard to both the pepper and the meaty Southwestern stew, and I stand to be corrected whichever I settle on.

That aside, as a fan of spice I’m always interested in learning more about the genus capsicum. That’s what lured me into Northgate Market in Barrio Logan. The story of a thriving So Cal chain of Latino-friendly supermarkets owned by Mexican immigrants is compelling, sure. But I’d also heard it’s got a pepper variety to rival that of Barbarella’s source, Pancho Villa’s in North Park.

That, and it was recently announced that the chain is teaming up with UC San Diego (and a $3.4 million federal grant) to promote greater consumption of fruits and vegetables in low-income families. That’s something I can get behind, and if I burn my mouth in the process, so be it.

Part of the shiny new construction built up along Cesar E. Chavez Parkway in the past few years, the market sits at the base of the Coronado Bridge, just beside Chicano Park. The view going in is a great one.

Inside, I was disappointed to learn that, despite its healthy intentions, much of the store resembles your typical American supermarket with lots of sugary, high-fructose, and processed products appearing throughout. I guess that’s still where the money is.

However, go left at the entrance and you run into Cocina Doña Tina, which prepares a worthy of assortment of authentic Mexican dishes, many of them straight-up healthier than what I normally get at my favorite taco shops. You’ll also find huge bags of masa (hominy dough) and a fresh salsa bar where you may sample from the eight or ten available.

Doing so only primed me for my purpose. I hit the produce department in search of peppers, and peppers I did find. I recently learned that a favorite salsa at my go-to burrito shop was made with toasted arbol chilies. I found them, both dried and tostado, behind the produce section at the far right corner of the market. I found dozens of dried peppers in general here, in bins and bags, including dried poblano and mulato, the basis for a chocolaty mole. It was overwhelming but fantastic.

The produce section as a whole was great fun to browse. On one shelf I found bunches of the cilantro-like garnish, papalo, on another shelf coconuts, and near that some bulk dried hibiscus. I found bundled sticks of canela (cinnamon) and something called xoconostle, which I’m 90% sure is the Nahuatl (Aztec) name for prickly pear.

Plenty of fresh peppers were scattered about as well, and I went home with a shiny orange manzano pepper, named for being in the shape of an apple. It’s said to be roughly the same spice level as the more common serrano pepper, but I found it to have a more lingering burn. That’ll teach me. I hope.