Mild heat, smoky note: Piment d`Espelette has been inextricably linked with French-Basque cuisine since the 17th century.
The spice, extracted from the pods of the Gorria chilli variety, gives its special flavour to Basque fish soup (Ttoro), veal blood sausage (Tripoxa) or veal mince casserole (Axoa) and is used as a preservative for the famous Bayonne ham.

From October onwards, the ripe pods - pierced at the stems and strung into long strands - dry on the south-facing house walls of Espelette.
The small town at the foot of the Mondarrain mountain in the foothills of the Pyrenees glows fiery red during this time. It takes twenty days for the dried fruits to be smoked, ground and packed in the oven at 55 to 60 degrees.

Once the first batch of the harvest is processed and ready for sale, there is a celebration.
During the last weekend in October, the town is transformed into one big market where peppers, ham, cheese and other regional products are offered for sale. In the afternoon, the first Basque dance and music groups perform. Until late in the evening, concert after concert takes place.

The highlight on the following Sunday is the service in the 17th century church during which the priest blesses pods and farmers - accompanied by dances and choir singing.
Afterwards, a colourful procession of the brotherhood of the chilli pepper leads through the community. Friendly brotherhoods such as that of the Bayonne ham or the giant omelette of Bessiéres de Tarn are also present.

There is also a popular festival atmosphere in the afternoon: the bars in the town serve aperitifs - based on chilli.
And the restaurants serve special menus tailored to the festive day. A pelota game is played and, as on the previous day, various associations demonstrate traditional Basque folk art, such as the souletine dances.