Piment d'Espelette - Red Chili Pepper Powder from France 1.41oz

Piment d'Espelette is a unique product. It is subject to Appellation d'Origine Controlee regulation, which extends the right to use the AOC label only to ten communes in the Basque country in France. The peppers are grown, harvested, dried and prepared subject to strict regulation and, like wine, cheese and other products subject to the AOC, must display the typical "organoleptic characteristics" of the traditionally produced spice. Piment d'Espelette is never strong or screamingly hot, so if you are expecting something akin to Scotch Bonnet peppers, or the acrid bite of "chili pepper" blends, look elsewhere. However, it does have a sweet and smoky aroma, akin to good pimenton or paprika, along with a distinct peppery 'bite' at the finish.Piment d'Espelette is never inexpensive and it is usually not easy to find in the US, so having this source available is great. I use it in almost everything -- for example, peel and slice cucumbers, toss with a good quantity of freshly squeezed lemon juice (Meyer lemons preferred), a pinch of sugar, a large pinch of fleur de sel or kosher salt, and a pinch of piment d'Espelette. Let the cukes sit in a colander for up to half an hour, tossing occasionally, then serve. Trust me, you will not fail to notice the presence of the piment. It's also great and sufficiently assertive to dress a good sized composed salad with just a pinch in a basic vinaigrette dressing of lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard and grapeseed, walnut or olive oil. Wonderful sprinkled lightly over a platter of carved "rotisserie chicken" from the grocery. Adds a nice edge to rillettes or a terrine. Adds pop to scrambled eggs, quiche... just think of anything you'd like to lend a subtly sweet, smoky and hot red peppery note, and give it a healthy pinch of piment d'Espelette.Another reviewer reports that he received piment d'Espelette from this source ("Touch of France") that was tasteless. I've not had that experience. I received very fresh piment with the AOC labeling, with aromas and flavors that are perfectly "typique." If you really want to get "fresh," you could go with the whole dried, corded peppers which are also sold subject to the AOC (corded by hand with no fewer than 20 peppers per cord). I like the convenience of the ground piment and recommend this supplier without reservation based on the product I received. The price is about as fair as one can find nowadays, and I bet you can double up on the order for a single shipping charge.For more about piment d'Espelette generally, you can google piment d'Espelette and you will find the "Site officiel de l'AOC" (alas, for some reason the good folks at Amazon would not allow me to include the URL in this review).

The jar of Piment d'Espelette arrived intact and is as advertised. I used it to season a pot of Poulet Basquaise and it is just delicious. It has a hint of heat, and a really unique flavor. Poulet Basquaise, a French chicken recipe, is traditionally seasoned with these peppers, so I'm glad I took the plunge. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it. The expiration date on this jar is Dec 31, 2025, roughly ten months from today, but I'll certainly have used it all by then!

This is utterly delicious! It adds so much. I have used it on a roasted chicken & on chicken kebabs. It is my newest “must have” item.

Delicious flavor, not too spicy

Lots of flavor and a small amount of heat. Nice for dressing up something bland that you don't want too spicy.

In a lifetime of adventurous home cooking I have experimented with many forms of pepper seasoning. I have seen certain ones come into vogue and then fade back into being very useful seasonings for occasional use. Piment d'Espelette is a fine product that adds a rich and moderately spicy red pepper note where desired. In my pantry now I have three styles of Spanish pimenton (paprika): hot, mild and smokey. Compared to those pimentons, piment d'esplette has a rounder flavor that lacks the bitterness that some paprika shows while good Spanish paprika seems 'toastier.' In any case the two products have very different flavor. It is about as 'hot' as hot Spanish Paprika but less hot than cayenne pepper. Having such a wide experience with peppers, I do not find this product to be a 'revelation' but it is a welcome addition to my pantry and I have come to prefer it for digestible chillis, barbecue rubs and as part of a mix for seasoning roasting chickens. The grind is medium, neither fine nor coarse as the product comes from the pepper's flesh rather than from seeds.

This is very high quality Espelette pepper!

What a delicious pepper powder. Mild yet so full of layers upon layers of flavor. About as hot as coarse ground black pepper, this stuff will please everyone. Perfect for Basque Chicken, which I am making today. Perfect on scrambled eggs, tuna salad and devilled eggs. Highly recommended.