Espelette pepper (piment d'Espelette) is a mild, sweet-fruity Capsicum annuum chilli grown around Espelette in the French Basque Country, protected by an AOP and used ground as a gentle seasoning.
What it is¶
Piment d'Espelette is a Capsicum annuum chilli of the variety 'Gorria', grown in a small area of the French Basque Country around the village of Espelette in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The pods are about 7–14 cm long, ripening from green to deep red, and are usually dried and ground into a fine, brick-red powder. It is mild, around 4,000 SHU, with a sweet, fruity flavour.
It is protected: Piment d'Espelette gained French appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) status in 2000 and European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO, in French AOP) in 2002. Only chillies of the approved variety, grown and processed in the designated communes, may be sold under the name.
Origins and history¶
Local tradition holds that chillies were brought to the Basque Country from the Americas in the sixteenth century, sometimes credited to a Basque sailor who travelled with the Spanish; the story is plausible but not firmly documented. By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries chilli was being grown in the area, used for preserving meat as well as seasoning, and it gradually took the place of expensive black pepper in Basque kitchens, which is why it is still used in place of pepper in many local recipes.
In autumn, strings of drying chillies hang on the white, red-shuttered Basque houses of Espelette, and a chilli festival has been held in the village on the last weekend of October since the late 1960s. Espelette pepper is also used in the curing of jambon de Bayonne.
Flavour and aroma¶
Espelette tastes warm, sweet and fruity, with hints of dried tomato, peach and a light smokiness from drying (it is not smoked). The heat is gentle and slow, a glow rather than a burn. It is often described as falling between sweet paprika and cayenne, but it has more fruit than either.
In the kitchen¶
In Basque cooking, Espelette is used like black pepper: a pinch in almost everything savoury.
- Piperade: a stew of peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic seasoned with Espelette, served with eggs or ham.
- Axoa: chopped veal (or lamb) simmered with onions, peppers and Espelette.
- Basque chicken (poulet basquaise) and fish stews.
- Seasoning: over eggs, foie gras, grilled fish, scallops, cheese (especially the local sheep's cheese with black-cherry jam) and chocolate.
- In place of pepper: in vinaigrettes, butter sauces and mayonnaise, where black pepper specks would be unwelcome.
It is best added at the end of cooking or as a finishing seasoning, because long cooking dulls its aroma. Half a teaspoon seasons a dish for four with gentle warmth.
💡 Espelette butter
Mash 1 tsp piment d'Espelette and a pinch of sea salt into 100 g soft butter. Roll into a log, chill, and slice over grilled fish, steak or corn.
Buying and storing¶
Genuine Espelette is sold in small, fairly expensive jars carrying the AOP label; unlabelled "Espelette style" pepper may be something else. Keep airtight and in the dark, and use within six months, as the aroma fades. Whole dried strings are decorative but also useful: crumble a pod as needed.
Substitutes¶
- Aleppo pepper: similar fruity, gentle heat, oilier and saltier.
- Hot Hungarian or Spanish paprika: less fruity; use a little more.
- 3 parts sweet paprika to 1 part cayenne as a basic stand-in.
- Gochugaru, fine grind.
Pairs well with¶
Eggs, tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, ham, pork, veal, fish, scallops, sheep's cheese, chocolate, butter and olive oil.
Growing your own¶
The 'Gorria' variety is sold by some seed suppliers. Although chillies grown outside the protected area cannot be sold as piment d'Espelette, the plant grows well in Britain under cover. Sow indoors in February–March at 20–25°C and plant into a greenhouse or warm, sheltered bed after frost. Pods ripen red from late summer. String them by the stalks and hang in a warm, dry place to dry, then grind. See growing chillies.