I’m from the Mid-Atlantic, and this has the potential to blow up in my face like Yankees vs Mets.
F*ck them both…, go O’s.
D’oh, make that Green, mods…
I guess I should add that the choice appears to be a lifestyle defining event down here–NM.
Well, yeah.
I spent a good deal of time in Santa Fe. And “red or green ?” seems to be asked with everything your order (coffee, donuts, etc. 
At first I thought it was asking “hot or mild”, but then I found out that, on any given year, either may be hotter than the other. So that doesn’t really fit unless you know, for that year/season, which you would prefer.
There are subtleties in flavor, but for me, the “overall hotness” kind of overshadowed any flavor differences. I suppose for the locals, they can tell the differences, so it is more significant to them.
So in essence, it kind of comes down to appearance. Some people prefer the look of one over the other. (The green tended to look a little slimy to me, so I usually preferred the red).
The correct answer is always Christmas.
Hah! Well played, Sir.
Red chilis are ripe, while green ones are unripe. Some varieties are usually picked at one stage or another, but all the red ones started off green, and all the green ones would ripen to some other color (often red, sometimes yellow or some other color like purple) if you left them on the plant. The main difference here is that the red ones will thus be a bit sweeter, though there are other components of flavor and texture that change as well.
And the question “Red or green?” can apply not just to chilis, but to salsas as well. In this case, the distinction may be between the chilies used in the salsa, or it may be a distinction between tomatoes and tomatillos. Those have very different flavors
Like creme-filled cookies: sometimes I want the black, and sometimes the white. Both are darn good!
Are there people who would prefer one to the other, to the degree of refusing one entirely?
Individual tastes, eh? There aren’t any “wrong answers.” Whatever you don’t want, push over in my direction!
I’m not from the SW, but I grow a lot of chiles every year, and, basically, they have different flavors. Think the difference between green pepper and red pepper. The former is “grassier” and the latter is sweeter and “fruitier” in taste. That’s it. It doesn’t have anything to do with heat level. They just have different flavors, like the difference between a green jalapeño and a red one.
Now, I’ll go one further, and relevant to the Southwest. Green chili is always made from fresh green chiles in my experience. Red, though, is usually made with dried red chiles. This also adds a different flavor profile. Dried red chiles have a deep earthy flavor to them that fresh ones don’t. Depending on the chile, they can even taste a bit raisin-y or prune-like in their fruitiness, along with a kind of deep, dark spiciness, as opposed to the “bright”, slightly bitter fresh herbal/green-ness of green chilis. If that sounds like a whole lot of malarky to you, think the flavor of something like fresh green peppers vs paprika to get into the ballpark of differences. Or, better yet, if you know what a poblano tastes like and what an ancho tastes like, those are the same pepper, the former fresh and green, the latter dried and red.
So, in the end, it’s a matter of flavors.
When you’re talking about the choice of sauce, like on an enchilada plate, there’s quite a difference between red and green. Red chile is going to be a smooth red sauce, kind of like a hot gravy, and green will be chunky. This is because the red is made with dried, powdered red chiles and green is made with diced roasted peppers. As has been mentioned, which one is hotter is completely dependent on other factors and can vary from batch to batch, so it’s best to just ask which one is hotter if that’s a deciding factor.
The whole “state question” thing that we’ve done in New Mexico is kinda stupid, but we’re all about defining the place for the tourists, so I’m game. However, you’re not stuck with one choice forever. I typically enjoy red with tamales and green on enchiladas. Smothered burritos can go either way, and I feel free to change my mind at any given meal.
I personally think that “Christmas” is a disgusting blend, although it seems to have become really popular in the past decade or so. To me, it’s like not being able to choose between pie or cake and deciding to just mash them both together as a compromise. Ick.
“on any given year”? Try, “on any given week”. It can vary from one day to the next, depending on their suppliers and their cooks.
First you specify whether you want red or green, then you specify whether you want hot or mild.
Green chile has a slightly bitter undertaste, which I loathe, but which green aficionados tell me is exactly what they love most.
Huh, I would go the other way around on those two, red on enchiladas and green on tamales. Provided both are available, of course: If my preferred sauce isn’t available, I’ll take the other.
Red is sweeter, mellower. Green is more acidic, bitter. Both can be hot.
You know how grapes and raisins are the same fruit but taste different? It’s the same with green and red chile. Red chile is not a different pepper. It’s not like bell peppers which grow as red or green separately. Rather, the chile is green as it’s growing and turns red as it gets ripe and dries out. The flavor changes as it dries out. Since they have different taste profiles, they may fit better with certain foods, but there is no wrong choice. It’s just like wine. Some people will say you can only drink white with fish, but it’s fine to drink red if that’s what you prefer. My preference is green with chicken and red with pork, but it’s pretty good no matter which chile is paired with whatever.
Bell peppers aren’t like that, either.
Oops. That is correct about the bell peppers. However, red chile is almost always sold in a dried form. It’s either found as a powder or as a dried pod which you would grind up yourself.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say “almost always.” (Although this depends on what you mean by “red chile,” I suppose. I’m talking any spicy red capsicum.) Plenty of fresh red chiles to be found around here, depending on the grocery store. Any Asian store will always have Thai red chiles, for example. Mexican groceries, depending on the season, may also have fresh red jalapenos, red fresnos, red habaneros, and sometimes red serranos. Occasionally, you may also find fresh red cayennes, tabasco, and peppers of that sort.
It’s more accurate to say that green chiles are almost never sold in dried form, and reds are fresh or dried.
Pretty much the only type of red/green chile argument in the Southwest is specifically over the Big Jim chile pepper grown in Hatch, NM. While there are lots of other chiles in the world, they are virtually never part of the discussion about which is better in the Southwest. This type of NM chile is pretty much only available as fresh green peppers or dried red (whole or ground).
Ah, yes, then.
To this day, I still miss my fresh Hatch green chiles from when I was living in Albuquerque. Mmmmm. Great in any dish.
I’ve taken the wife to New Mexico on occasion, and she also likes the various chile products there. Red/green chile jam, for instance. You certainly don’t see anything like that with Thai or other Asian chiles.