Red and Green Chile Peppers "Red or green?" (chile peppers) is the official state question of New Mexico Photo by Scott Bauer USDA / USDA (public domain image).
Official State Question of New Mexico
In 1996 New Mexico became the only state to establish a question as an official symbol when the New Mexico State Legislature passed a House Joint Memorial declaring "Red or Green?" as the official state question. In New Mexico, when diners order a dish made with chilies, they are always asked "red or green?" The legislature wanted to recognize the importance that the chile industry has on the state economy.
New Mexico produced 62,700 tons of chile in 2017, valued at an estimated $44.6 million. By adopting this state question, New Mexico acknowledged how important this crop is to the state economy, and recognized the association of the chile pepper with the state and cuisine of New Mexico.
New Mexico also has an official state slogan. All New Mexico symbols and icons.