What Pasilla means
Pasilla is a Mexican ingredient name of Spanish origin meaning "little raisin". It is built from Spanish pasa (raisin) and -illa (diminutive). It is pronounced pah-SEE-yah, and it is most associated with central Mexico.
Named for the wrinkled raisin-dark skin of the dried chilaca. In the United States the label pasilla is often stuck on anchos instead, which confuses recipes in both directions.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: The words that appear inside dish names: the chiles (ancho, guajillo, pasilla, chipotle), the corn words (nixtamal, masa, tortilla, elote), and the tools (comal, molcajete, metate). Learn these and most menu items decode themselves.
