Espelette pepper, known in French as piment d'Espelette, is a variety of the Capsicum annuum chili pepper cultivated in the French Basque Country, particularly in and around the town of Espelette in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It is traditionally harvested in late summer and often strung by hand into garlands to dry.
The pepper is mildly spicy, registering around 4,000 on the Scoville scale, and is commonly used in Basque cooking to flavor dishes such as piperade, sausages, and cured hams, often substituting for black pepper.
