Padrón Peppers: Some Do Not Like It Hot
Mas o Menos
By Thomas DeVere Wolsey
Spanish tapas are an internationally famous snack, even for those who have never been to Spain. They come cold and hot. Tapas may be as simple as a bowl of olives, as delicious as patatas bravas, or as tasty (with a bit of risk thrown in) as a plate of Padrón peppers. The pepper was imported by monks from Mexico to Herbón in Galicia, Spain, so sometimes the peppers are called Herbón peppers.
Padrón peppers, or Pimientos de Padrón in Spanish, look like jalapeño peppers. Both are from the same species, Capsicum annuum, but each is a different cultivar. The heat each can deliver is quite different, too. Though generally mild, Padrón peppers can have the occasional outlier that is quite spicy. The Galicians say, Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non, which means Padrón peppers, some are spicy, and some are not[i] (Diaz, et al., 2023).
It’s All About the Capsaicin
The capsaicin is what makes peppers (alternately called chiles) hot)[ii]. The more capsaicin, the hotter the pepper. This is what makes the Padrón unique; the level of capsaicin can vary adding a small bit of risk to eating them. Most of the time, you’ll get low heat, but once in a while, watch out!
