A Road to Identity: The New Mexico Chile SUE SAMUELSON AWARD FOR FOODWAYS SCHOLARSHIP SECOND PLACE

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Christina Gooch

Abstract

Since their introduction to the state in the 17th century, chiles have become ubiquitous in New Mexico. You are greeted by them as you first cross the state line on roadside signs, encounter them hanging from adobe doorways and storefronts, and discover them on most every menu in every restaurant. Exemplifying terroir, these small, fiery pods connect their culturally diverse eaters to New Mexico's geography; thus, a shared taste-based, place-based, and flexibly bounded identity.


Through its complex relationship to natural and human history, its connection to both place and people, and its seamless adaptability, the New Mexico chile both defines and reflects New Mexican identity for an ever shifting fabric of communities in the American Southwest.

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