About La Maison Du Piment
- Based in
- Ustaritz, France
- Known for
- Espelette pepper
La Maison du Piment is the business of Vincent Darritchon, who has grown and harvested piment d'Espelette himself since 1996, now with a team of about 15 people. The shop is in Ustaritz, one of the ten communes in the Espelette pepper appellation.
Alongside the pepper, the shop sells other Basque products.
La Maison Du Piment questions
What does the Espelette pepper appellation mean for La Maison du Piment?
An appellation is a legal label that ties a food's name to a defined area. Since 2000 French rules, and since 2002 EU rules, have allowed only peppers grown in ten communes of the French Basque Country to be sold as piment d'Espelette. Ustaritz, where Vincent Darritchon grows his peppers, is one of those ten, so his harvest can carry the name.
What is Espelette pepper?
A mild red chili of the French Basque Country. The peppers are picked in late summer and hung in strings to dry in September, then sold whole or ground. Its flavor is sweet and fruity with gentle heat, so use it like black pepper on eggs, fish and meat, or in piperade, a Basque sauté of onion, green peppers and tomatoes.
