E as in Espelette

Do you like chilli ? You have certainly already heard about the Espelette pepper. If you have tasted it, you will certainly appreciate it. And for good reason, it is the only spicy chilli pepper in France and it has the AOC classification !

The Espelette pepper, a must

Contrary to what one might think, the Espelette pepper does not come from the Basque Country! Indeed, its origin comes from South America but it was imported in the Basque Country during the 16th century. The Espelette pepper was not used in the kitchen from the beginning because it was used for medical purposes at first. It began to arrive in the kitchens to preserve meat and to replace pepper in dishes.

The city of this pepper to discover

The Espelette chilli pepper has settled comfortably in a village of the same name: Espelette in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The locals particularly appreciate its fragrance resulting from a long sun drying process. But the pilent has seduced to the point of obtaining its own derivatives such as chocolate with Espelette pepper or jelly for example!