How to Decorate With Hot Peppers

Bunches of dried hot chili peppers are strung together to make ristras.

Hot peppers are a vibrant symbol of distinctive Southwestern flavor. From mild sweet peppers to scorching habanero peppers, a variety of chili peppers form the basis for many Mexican and Southwestern dishes, including hot tamales, salsa, and red and green chili. Bunches of dried hot chili peppers, called ristras, are commonly strung together and hung for decoration and cooking in homes of the American Southwest.

Things You'll Need

• Bunches of dried hot peppers (ristras)
• Measuring tape (optional)
• Hooks or nails

Instructions

1. 

   If you will be using the hot peppers as a fresh spice, clear a space in your kitchen that is out of the way, yet easily assessible.

   Decide if you will be using the hot peppers for cooking, or only for decoration. Some commercially-sold ristras are sprayed with a polyeurethane coating for decorative shine, and are not suitable for eating. If you will be using the hot peppers as a fresh spice, clear a space in your kitchen that is out of the way, yet easily accessible.

2. 

   Chili pepper ristras come in many sizes and shapes.

   Determine what type of hot pepper bunches suits your decorative style. Chili pepper ristras come in many sizes and shapes, from door wreaths and flat-backed bunches for wall hanging, to vertical ristras ranging from six inches to five feet in length. Smaller, more delicate ristras are made from pequin peppers, which each measure one to two inches. For a more dramatic effect, choose a ristra made from large chilies, which can grow up to eight inches long. Measure available space for larger ristras.

3. Purchase dried hot pepper ristras from a reputable seller, either in person or online. The most famous chilies come from New Mexico. Fresh, handmade ristras can be purchased directly from many shops in Albuqeurque, Santa Fe, Taos, Hatch and other New Mexican towns, or ordered online and shipped.

4. 

   Hot peppers can also be hung on porches, balconies and fences.

   Hang your ristras on hooks or nails from the corn husk loops at the top of the bunch. Hot peppers are most commonly hung in kitchens, but can also be placed as living room wall hangings, or in rows outdoors on porches, balconies and fences. For a very traditional Southwestern look, hang two or three ristras on a decorative wooden ladder leaned against an outside wall or porch.

References

• National Park Service: Petroglyph: Chilie Ristras