chipotle (pron-ent???po?tle? respellchiPOHTlay; IPA-est?i?potlelang), or chilpotle, is a smoke-dried (smoking (food)) jalape�o chili (Chili pepper) used primarily in Mexican (Mexican cuisine) and Mexican-inspired cuisine, such as Mexican-American and Tex-Mex (Tex-Mex cuisine).

There are many varieties of jalape�os which vary in size and heat (pungency). In Mexico, the jalape�o is also known as the cuaresme�o and gordo. Until recently, chipotles were almost exclusively found in the markets of central and southern Mexico. As Mexican food became more popular abroad, especially in North (North America) and South America in the late 20th century and into the 21st century, jalape�o production and processing began to expand into Northern Mexico to serve the Southern United States, and eventually processing occurred in the United States and other places, such as China.