Pepperitaville

 

Bollita-Spain

Bollita Chile are bright to dark red large round chilies.  Bollita means "little rattle" in Spanish and the name refers to the shape of the chili as well as the sound the seeds make when a dried chili is shaken. The chili is moderately hot (it is a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10) and has a nutty flavor with a rich tannic and slightly smoky nuance but not an excessive amount of heat.  It is often used with the Paprika Extremedura chili to make some of the finest Spanish Paprika.  Scoville 35,000 to 60,000

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Choricero Cristal-Spain

These delicious chiles are called the "Foie Gras" of the pepper world! They come from the same region as the Piquillo peppers,  Navarre, Spain. The Cristal plants produce long pendant fruit about an inch in diameter and 6 inches long. They ripen from green to red. They are thin walled and have a rich velvety sweet smoky flavor. Some describe the taste as buttery and decadent! Once roasted you will think someone injected them with some special ingredient! The Cristal peppers can be fried, roasted, stuffed, pickled and are often used to make pepper paste.

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Choricero Pimente de Ensartar-Spain

A truly gourmet variety.  It is very common to see them hanging in the kitchen and front of the houses of Euskal Herria. The Chorizo ​​Ensartar has been and remains the basis of many sauces and dishes of the local cuisine, the key ingredient of Bizkaia sauce. (See our Recipes) Traditionally planted in the field and collected unprotected once the pepper is red on the vine.   Usually dried but can also be consumed when still on the vine.  The peppers that belong to the first flowering are the most desirable.  Once the peppers are collected  the drying process begins. Traditionally, the peppers are tied together in strings and hung on the walls of the villages where they are covered from the rain and sometimes hung  in the kitchens under low heat. The latter method permeates  the pepper with a certain aroma of smoke.  The pulp is used alone, that is, the fleshy part extracted as  a dark red paste. This paste is an essential ingredient of traditional Basque Bizkaia recipes like salsa, or Marmitako Sukalki. But as the name suggests, is also still used in the preparation of sausages.  A teaspoon of this paste adds flavor to many dishes of meat, fish or potatoes, sauces etc.  There are two varieties of Choricero:  one grows hanging down and this one grows upright.

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Gernica-Spain

The Gernica pepper is a local variety of pepper from the province of Vizcaya, the result of the adaptation made by the species originally from America to the area's climatic conditions.  On the palate its flesh is fine and soft and it is not hot. It is preferably eaten fried and is a good accompaniment for various dishes of seasonal products. Since 1993, it has had the Basque Food Quality Label, completely guaranteeing its flavor and freshness. On the market it appears packed in plastic trays of twelve units. The Kalitatea stamp and the Gernika Pepper Label logo must appear on this packaging.

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Guindillas Tolosa (Langostinos of Ibarra) – Ibarra Spain (Red-Blanca-Dulce)

As Guindilla matures, it becomes more pungent. The red Guindilla is medium-hot with a sweet flavor. In the Spanish Basque country, Guindilla is served as a tapas or vegetable, fried with garlic in olive oil. The red Guindilla is dried and used as a flavoring component in dishes such as dried cod al pil pil and gambas al pil pil.

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Nora-Spain

Columbus brought back numerous Capsicum annuum chiles from his voyage to the New World, and it is believed that he left the early ancestor of this chile with the Spanish monks of the Yuste monastery. These monks then shared it with their brothers in the congregation of La Nora in Murcia, which is where it gets its name. Today, Nora Chiles are primarily cultivated in the Valencia region, which is located on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula fronting the Gulf of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea.  80% of Nora peppers are grown for bright red colored paprika and its intense sweet flavor.

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Padron-Spain

Pimientos de Padrón are small green peppers named after a town in Galicia. They are usually fried in salt and served as a tapa. At their best, eating them is rather like playing Russian Roulette,  although they are all delicious, about one in five will blow a hole in the top of your skull! Sometimes almost all of them are highly explosive; occasionally, an entire batch is sweet. There are several theories about why only some are picante, but any utterly convincing reason has never been given. The most exciting Padrones are from Padrón itself, while the "non picante" ones from the north of Coruña province are larger and with a less concentrated taste.  My seed came from Padron, Spain

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Piment d’Anglet-Doux de Landes (Lapurdi)-France

This is a sweet pepper from the Southwest corner of France called Landes. The name translates into English sweet pepper from Landes. It looks identical to a long skinny twisted Cayenne. The Doux des Landes pepper can grow fruit over a foot long. They are very sweet and fruity. They are used in a Basque recipe call Pipperade.  Peppers can be eaten fried or fresh  but  they shine in a  sweet sauce.

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Pimient d’ Arnoia-Galicia Spain

This pepper comes from Galicia which is an area of Northwest Spain. In America you could compare Galicia to a State or Province. It is well known and comes from the small town of Arnoia. The name translates into English "Pepper from Arnoia".   Arnoia is in the O'Ribiero region which is famous for it's wine. This pepper has protected geographical status by the European Union while sold when it is still green in color. In other words you cannot sell this pepper in Europe unless it has been grown in the area it is from. Every year this pepper is celebrated in the Arnoia pepper festival. It is one of Galacia's most famous food events. Since 1980 over 20,000 visitors have traveled Arnoia to consume over 10 tons of peppers prepared in so many ways stuffed, roasted or fried! It is held every August on the famous Boulevard of Quexeira. Most dishes are served with a fine Ribeiro wine.

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Pimente d' Bresse-France

This delicious chile grows on the plains of Lyon, France and is named after the city of Bresse. If you look it up under recipes you will find many from that region. This is an ancient Heirloom that has been used for hundreds of years. The fruits ripen from green to red and have a very sweet sugary taste. The heat level is between jalapeno and cayenne. The Piment de Bresse fruits are elongated and are under an inch in diameter and can get up to 5 inches long. They are ideal to eat fried, roasted, stuffed or fresh! They will make an excellent chile sauce!

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Piment d' Espelette-Northern Spain & Southern France

Piment d'Espelette literally means “Pepper of Espelette” in French. It is a food product produced around the town of Espelette in Southern France, in the region sometimes known as Basque Country. This pepper is so famous that in 1999 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), was granted to Espelette peppers, or "Ezpeletako Bipera" in Basque language, giving it the same protection as more famous names, such as Champagne and Roquefort . Only ten communities are allowed to use the name Espelette.  Piment d’ Espelette is most commonly strung up to dry and ground into a powder and is often used as a substitute for black pepper in the Basque country and in common Basque dishes.

 

 

Piment Doux d' Long de Antibes-France

Rare variety, heirloom native to the region of Antibes, Southeast of France. Fruit is pendulous, elongated and with narrow pods.  Dark orange. Sweet flavor, little heat.  Used fresh, pickled or sautéed.

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Piment d' Ibarra-(Iberian Cayenne)-Spain

There is a Hybrid called "Iberia" but this is NOT it.  This is a cayenne type from Ibarra, Spain.  VERY HOT...hotter than ordinary Cayenne.  This is used in some of the regions "Paprika de La Vera Piquante".  I brought these seeds back myself from the market in Cadiz, Spain.

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Piment d' Vizcaino-Guernica, Spain

Large pepper that is eaten while the skin is still thin.  It is often fried as well as pickled in strips.  Sweet, but develope a hint of heat when large and red.

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Piquillo de Lodosa-Navarre, Spain

The Piquillo de Lodosa is a delicious chili from Navarre, Spain, specifically from Lodosa. It is an official Basque pepper. The flavor is very sweet with a mild heat. They are delicious stuffed, roasted or fried. Peel skin after roasting as it gets tough to chew through. So much flavor it would be ideal to make it into a sauce. 

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Pimente Doux de Espagna-Spain

This is a Spanish Heirloom introduced to the markets in Spain and Southern France around 1859. Later in the century it became more widespread in the markets in Paris, France. It is also called the Spanish Mammoth pepper because it can get up to 8 inches long and about 5 inches in diameter. It is a very popular pepper in the French culinary market so areas like Algeria and Southern Spain grow it during the winter season for the markets. It is extremely sweet with no heat. A pepper that is great for salads, roasting, frying or stuffing! It is extremely productive and highly disease resistant.

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Piment Sucette d' Provence-France

The Piment Sucette de Provence is very hot.   Cultivated for its 6"tapered fruits,  it is harvested when red.  Although it is hot, it has a sweet-hot flavor and it is consumed grilled, stuffed or used in appetizers. It is eaten raw or cooked. 

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