Piment d'Espelette

Our Piment d'Espelette, a coarsely ground chili pepper - called Ezpeletako biperra in Basque - is grown with care and love on the Ferme Conchoinea, a plot of approximately 4 hectares located in Aïnhoa in the French Basque Country.

Temporarily unavailable!

Latest news.
'Our' Segida has ended its activities this summer. You may remember, in 2023 the entire harvest was lost due to a summer rain with hail. We made an agreement with a farmer from Aïnhoa to us one more time Segida to be delivered from the plot of Bressouats. We expect this shipment very soon. We are looking forward to it!

The Espelette pepper is named after the place where it has been cultivated for centuries, and where an annual festival in its honour is held: Espelette, in the French Basque Pyrenees-Atlantiques. The cultivation of chilli peppers in this area dates back to the mid-seventeenth century,  after the chili pepper was brought from Central America and the Caribbean  Spain was introduced.

This gave rise to the Basque variety Capsicum annuum var. gorria, also known as Gorria or Biper. Laurent and Laurence Bessouat have been growing this pepper since 1998 at the Ferme Conchoinea, planting and harvesting it by hand. The peppers are coarsely ground. After grinding, these particles may not exceed 5 mm in size. 
The Bessouats also make a paste (purée) of it and process the pepper in various other products, of which we sell the jelly. All Bessouats products are provided with their own brand name, Segida.

Piment d'Espelette has been allowed to carry the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) predicate since 2000, and since 2002 it is also the only French spice to be allowed to carry the European appellation d'origine protégée (AOP). Provided that it is grown under the supervision of the Syndicat du Piment d'Espelette. Every year, the cultivation is assessed by this Council on the quality criteria of the Basque and European labels.

The quality of Segida's allspice is demonstrated by the many awards it has won, including the Silver Medal at the Salon Internationale d'Agriculture in Paris. 

Our Piment d'Espelette is offered in a glass jar with 40 grams of pepper and a bag with 250 grams (vacuum). Only in the original packaging! It is not allowed to use the name Piment d'Espelette for non-certified products, and for that reason we are not allowed to repackage the Espelette. Unfortunately, this does happen elsewhere! 

The new season

From August onwards, the ripe chillies are harvested and dried. Once the peppers are ground, samples are submitted to the Syndicat for approval to carry the AOP predicate. Once this is a fact and the packaging is ready, orders for the new year are processed. 

We do not yet know exactly when the new harvest will arrive, we expect it sometime between November and December.

Usage

Piment d'Espelette is indispensable in Basque cuisine, where it is used in 'piperade', among other things. In the Basque Country, Espelette is mainly used, rarely black pepper.

Features

• 100% Gorria pepper (Capsicum annuum var gorria)
  
• originating from Aïnhoa, French Basque Country (Pays Basque)
• farm packed, no allergens
• latest harvest (2022/23) - no harvest in 2023 -
  Offer while stocks last!

Assortment

• in original glass jar (40 grams) 
• in original bag with a content of 250 grams (vacuum) - temporarily unavailable

General advice

• store the Piment d'Espelette in a cool place, away from direct sunlight;
• Once opened, the powder can be stored for at least three months, provided it is kept in a closed container and refrigerated between 3 and 5° C.

Best before:

• the expiration date on the packaging  is an indication, trust your senses
• if kept in the refrigerator  end of 2025