Padrón
The Padron pepper comes from the municipality of Padron in Galicia, northwestern Spain, where the related pemento de Herbon holds EU protected designation of origin status. Most pods are mild, around 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units, with a grassy, slightly nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with cheese and olive oil. The pepper's fame rests on a game of chance summed up by a Galician saying: some are hot, some are not. Roughly one pod in a dozen or so delivers a surprising jolt of heat, and peppers left to mature longer or stressed by drought turn spicier, making each plate a small roulette. The classic preparation, pimientos de Padron, is simple: small green pods blistered quickly in hot olive oil and finished with coarse salt, served as tapas. Picked young and small, they stay tender and mild, which is how they are traditionally eaten.
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The Padron pepper comes from the municipality of Padron in Galicia, northwestern Spain, where the related pemento de Herbon holds EU protected designation of origin status. Most pods are mild, around 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units, with a grassy, slightly nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with cheese and olive oil. The pepper's fame rests on a game of chance summed up by a Galician saying: some are hot, some are not. Roughly one pod in a dozen or so delivers a surprising jolt of heat, and peppers left to mature longer or stressed by drought turn spicier, making each plate a small roulette. The classic preparation, pimientos de Padron, is simple: small green pods blistered quickly in hot olive oil and finished with coarse salt, served as tapas. Picked young and small, they stay tender and mild, which is how they are traditionally eaten.
Last updated Oct 7, 2026
