Padrón peppers

Pimientos de Padrón ( Galician: Pementos de Padrón ) are typical peppers that are grown in the vicinity of the town of Padrón in Galicia / Spain. At the same time, the name referred to a regional dish prepared from it, which is now widespread throughout Spain.

It is the immature green pods of a certain type of Capsicum annuum Pepper type, roughly the size of a jalapeno. Peppers came after the discovery of America to Spain, so even after Padrón, and were grown there. The variety has changed over the years and became what is known as pimientos de Padrón today. Typical of the variety is the pod to pod of different degree of severity. A Galician saying goes: " peppers from Padrón: On the one sharp, the other does not. " ( Galician "os pementos de Padrón, we pican e outros non" ). The content of capsaicin and capsaicinoids can be influenced by fertilization.

About 15,000 kg peppers are in Padrón each year between June and September harvested, most of it in a valley of the local part Herbón. There, the first Festa do Pemento de Padrón was organized in 1979, a popular gastronomic event that has since held annually on the first Sunday in August in the " carballeira " of the Franciscan monastery of Herbón. The Franciscans were also the ones who brought in the 16th century, the first seeds from Mexico to Padrón and the plants adapted to the oceanic climate of the valley.

For the Court, the pimientos are fried in olive oil and coarse sea salt ( coarse salt ) scattered, it is served as a entrée or tapa.