Chile Güero

Chile Güero
A recipe that was given to us
By Mexico Bob and his wife Gina
And this post is for them.
The movie is by us, starring us.

These are what the fresh chiles look like
They are also known as yellow wax chiles in the US
They are yellow to light green when young
Turning toward orange as they age.
About four inches long.

Click on the photo to view the movie

The recipe:
You’ll need a few chile Güeros
Some queso Oaxaca or queso Asadero
Or in the case of our experiment
You can use a soft goat cheese
Which turned out just fine.

Make a lengthwise slit in the chile
Carefully scoop out the seeds.
If you want it less hot,
Get the membranes out too.
Put a small amount of salt in the cavity
Fill the chile with cheese
Close with a toothpick
Roast the chiles on the grill until charred and soft
The grilling took us about 20 minutes
Wrap inside a tortilla and eat!

Delicious!
Click here if you missed the video

Regarding the word Güero,
The first time I heard this word
Was when we were remodeling our house.
There was one worker who everyone called güero.
At the time I thought that this was his name
Until one day I called him güero and everyone laughed.
I asked why they were laughing.
Fausto told me this was not his name.
His name is Antonio.
I asked if this was his nickname.
They laughed again and said
We always call the lightest skinned worker güero.
It was used in a good natured, light teasing way.

So in my then, much cruder understanding of Spanish,
I took this to mean that Güero was the word for light,
Which of course is not the case,
Because there are several words for light,
Depending on the subject matter and context.
Luckily, did not use it in conversation in the wrong context.
Pretty soon I am hearing güero used all over,
In the streets, the markets, in friend’s homes.
I also begin hearing people call me güera,
Taxi drivers  saying ‘si güera’
Which it took a long time to realize
They didn’t mean it derogatorily,
However I did hear it a few times,
Walking down the street, by men,
Sitting on the curb calling ‘Güera
Which I did take in a derogatory way,
As it was a taunt.

Meantime, back to chiles,
Another translation came up last week
As having blonde hair,
Or in the case of chile güero,
A light color chile.