Cordes piment d'Espelette

The Espelette chillie

The Espelette chillie market

The Espelette chillie is grown in the South-West of France, in the Basque region of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. Originally from South America, it was introduced into the Basque region in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. Initially used in medicine, it soonn became a condiment and preservative for meats and ham. Espelette chillies were first planted in 1650 at Espelette, hence its name. The seeds were selected and the Gorria variety was born. From September at Espelette, strings of chillies cover the house fronts. The high point of the season is the last weekend of October during the chillie festival at Espelette : when the village's 1,800 inhabitants welcome some 20,000 visitors who come to sample the region's specialities.

Prim'land commercialises Espelette chillies grown by producers in the Basque region. The AOC production area for Espelette chillies cover 10 communes : Ainhoa, Cambo-les-bains, Espelette, Halsou, Itxassou, Jatxou, Larressore, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Souraïde and Ustaritz. Each  parcel of land to be planted is identified and irrigation is banned except in the month following planting (May-June) and in the event of prolonged drought. The AOC rules govern harvesting (which has to be manual), stringing, the production of powder and traceability. The chillies are sold fresh, in strings or as a powder.

Tips

With a rating of 4 on the Scoville scale, this chillies is no hotter than pepper byt is more gragrant thanks to the amount of time it is left to dry in the sun. It has been used for five hundred years, instead of pepper, in all Basque cooking. So it is used to season dishes such as Piperade, Veal ragoût (Axoa), Basque or pâtés.