Description
Chilli Name: PIMENT D’ESPELETTE
Chilli Species: Capsicum Annuum
Chilli Origin: France (Basque Country)
Chilli Heat: Mild
Piment d’Espelette is a traditional Capsicum annuum chilli from the Basque region of south-west France. It is grown primarily for flavour and aroma rather than heat and is a key ingredient in regional Basque cuisine.
Pods are medium-sized, elongated, and tapered, typically 7–14 cm in length. Fruits ripen from green to deep red when fully mature. The walls are relatively thin, making the pods ideal for air-drying and grinding into powder.
Flavour is aromatic, slightly sweet, and gently fruity with a mild warmth. Heat is classed as Mild, generally falling below 5,000 SHU, providing warmth without sharp pungency and allowing the flavour to dominate.
Plants are compact to medium in size and well suited to warm, sheltered growing conditions. They perform best with a long growing season to allow pods to fully ripen and develop their characteristic aroma before harvest.
Piment d’Espelette holds strong cultural and culinary importance in the Basque Country, where it is traditionally dried and ground for use as a seasoning. It is recognised as a regional chilli valued for flavour, heritage, and culinary versatility rather than intensity.
Germination temperature 28–30 °C. See our Water and Feed Guides for advise.
Chilli Seeds Qty is 5 per pack unless stated.
