Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Chiltomates name combines chile (chile) and tomate (tomato) — the two essential ingredients.
Chiltomate is the fundamental table salsa of the Yucatán Peninsula — a simple but intensely flavoured sauce of charred tomatoes and habanero chiles, made without drying, soaking, or elaborate spicing. The technique is pure: whole tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and habanero chiles (Capsicum chinense) are placed directly on a hot comal or cast iron pan and cooked, turning occasionally, until deeply charred on all sides — the tomatoes should be blackened and collapsed, the habaneros charred and blistered. The charred vegetables are blended (without peeling), seasoned with salt, and the sauce is used immediately. The habaneros unique floral tropical fruit aroma — distinct from any other chile species — combined with the bitter depth of the charred tomato skin creates a sauce of extraordinary personality. Chiltomate is the condiment for cochinita pibil tacos, is used as a base for Yucatecan rice, and is stirred into bean soups.
Chiltomate has a vivid, aggressive flavour: bitter smoke from the charred tomato skin, fruity floral heat from the habanero, and a clean fresh tomato acidity underneath — one of the most distinctive salsas in Mexican cuisine.
Full char on the tomatoes is essential — the blackened skin goes into the blend and provides colour, bitterness, and complexity Habanero quantity controls heat: one habanero per 500g tomatoes is bracingly hot; half a habanero is assertive but approachable Blend while still hot — hot tomatoes blend more smoothly than cold Do not strain — the skin and seeds provide body and character
For a slightly smoother chiltomate, blend for 90 seconds in a high-speed blender — the skins incorporate more completely Add a splash of naranja agria (Seville orange juice) after blending for additional brightness
Under-charring — a merely blistered tomato lacks the bitterness that defines chiltomate Substituting jalapeño or serrano for habanero — these provide heat but not the floral tropical aroma that is specific to habanero and Capsicum chinense
Rick Bayless, Authentic Mexican; Diana Kennedy, The Art of Mexican Cooking