Piment d’Espelette is a pepper from the French Basque Country, dried in strings on house façades in autumn and protected by a designation of origin since 2000. Its heat is “strong but not burning”.
| Species | Capsicum annuum, variety ‚Gorria‘ or local varieties of the same type |
|---|---|
| Heat | “strong but not burning” (PDO specification, no numeric value); the Syndicat gives 4 on a 1–10 scale |
| Protection | AOC since 2000, EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 2002 |
| Area | 10 communes in Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Labourd, French Basque Country) |
| Fruit | conical, red when ripe, 7–14 cm; plant up to 80 cm |
| Flavour | fruity or roasted notes, sometimes a hint of cut hay |
Area and protection
Espelette pepper has been a French AOC since 2000 and an EU Protected Designation of Origin since 2002, under the name “Piment d’Espelette / Piment d’Espelette – Ezpeletako Biperra”. It may be grown, dried and packed only in ten communes of the Basque Labourd: the whole communes of Larressore and Souraïde and parts of Ainhoa, Cambo-les-Bains, Espelette, Halsou, Itxassou, Jatxou, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle and Ustaritz. Only C. annuum of the variety ‚Gorria‘ or local varieties of the same type is allowed; according to the Syndicat, Gorria was created through seed selection by local women.
How hot?
The official specification sets no Scoville value; it describes the heat only as “strong but not burning”. The producers‘ Syndicat gives 4 on a scale of 1 to 10 in its materials, but this is not an SHU value. The specification describes fruity or roasted aromas, sometimes with a hint of cut hay, and allows the powder a sweet note or slight bitterness.
Strings on the façades
The specification explicitly names the drying of peppers on house façades in autumn as a characteristic feature of the region. Peppers are tied into strings (corde) in twos, threes or fours. According to the Syndicat, they were once dried on farm walls, then finished in a still-warm bread oven and pounded into powder. They are sold fresh, in strings, or as an orange to reddish-brown powder.
History and festival
According to the specification, the pepper arrived in the 16th century, probably via Spain, and replaced costly black pepper for seasoning and preserving meat; Father Larramendi’s Basque lexicon mentions it as a spice in 1745. Today it is used by charcutiers, restaurants and French haute cuisine.
The Fête du Piment takes place in Espelette on the last weekend of October. It was first held in 1967 and has been organised by the Confrérie du Piment d’Espelette since 1969; the festival is listed in France’s inventory of intangible cultural heritage.
Related
Padrón · Peperoncino · History of chilli · Scoville scale
Sources
- INAO: Cahier des charges AOP Piment d’Espelette (2024 amendment draft); product sheet
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1495/2002: EUR-Lex
- Syndicat du Piment d’Espelette: press kit; leaflet
- Ministère de la Culture: La fête du Piment d’Espelette (intangible heritage inventory)