ESPELETTE

'Espelette' (Basque: Ezpeleta) is a commune and small village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'' (64), Aquitaine, in south west France, formerly in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.

Contents

Sights

Red peppers

External links

Sights

The town is attractive with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected 16th century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones. There is also the grave of local woman Agnés Souret, the first woman chosen as 'the most beautiful woman in France'.

Red peppers

Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.

External links

★ EZPELETA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)

★ Piment d'Espelette, site dedicated to the pepper