(See Holiday Recycling) From the Spanish word riestra for rope or cord. A string of foodstuffs such as chilies, onions, and garlic that have been threaded together for storage.
a string of chile peppers.
Spanish] string of red chiles for drying in the sun.
Ristras are arrangements of drying chile pepper pods. Although their main purpose is to preserve chile for later consumption they are commonly used decoratively in chile-producing areas, especially New Mexico.