Collection of chilli peppers

In French, “chilli peppers” are called piment, which comes from the Latin for “dye”, pigmentum. Chilli peppers (of which there are more than 400 varieties) are the most pungent of spices. They can be sweet like fruit or burn like a red-hot poker.

Chilli peppers have been eaten for thousands of years in Mexico and South America, starting with the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas. In 1493, Columbus brought some back to Spain. From there, chilli peppers spread to Greece, Turkey, and then Hungary. As far back as the sixteenth century, Portuguese sailors introduced them to India, from where they continued their journey towards Southeast Asia and China.

The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency of chilli peppers (reflecting their capsaicin content), generally presented on a scale of 1 (“mild”) to 10 (“extreme”). Chilli peppers differ greatly in their aromas and mouthfeel. Everyone can find a chilli pepper that suits their individual taste and fits their sensitivity and use it to add some dazzle to their cuisine. The peppers from our collection come from Mexico, Spain, India and France.