The chiltepin is a tiny, powerfully spicy chile that’s the genetic grandparent of nearly every chile varietal cultivated in the United States. It’s a living emblem of how Indigenous ingredients formed the bedrock of American foodways.
But the history of the chiltepin — and that of the Indigenous people in the Southwest who grow it — isn’t well documented in mainstream food media.
“A Gathering Basket,” a new cookbook, aims to do the work of telling the stories behind Indigenous foods like the chi...