Galicia It has a pantry of products like few others. There is an outstanding amount of food of extraordinary quality, both from land, sea and air. Inside the plant world these peppers stand out They enjoy great fame, although beware, not all those who say they are from Padrón are. But the authentic ones fascinate us, with their crunchy, fine texture and their unmistakable flavor – as long as you don’t get one of those that burn your mouth! -.
Read more: Cuisine with Galician flavors
© Adobe StockThey are grown in A Coruña but are of American origin
This pepper refers to the variety that is grown in the parish of Herbón, administratively belonging to the municipality of Censusin A Coruña – there are also them in other nearby towns such as Dodro, Rois and Valga-. But the origin of this vegetable is Mexican and it arrived in Spain through the Franciscan monks from America back in the 17th and 18th centuries. They planted it in the orchards of the San Antonio convent and it acclimatized to greater humidity and fewer hours of sun, giving rise to a unique and unmistakable product, which did not cross Galician borders until well into the 20th century.
Every first Sunday in August, the Padrón Pepper Festival, declared of Tourist Interest in Galicia, is celebrated in Herbón. In the last edition, 1,500 kilos and 3,500 servings of this vegetable, which enjoys the Protected Designation of Origin Pemento de Herbón, Padrón variety.
Why do Padrón peppers sting?
These are small fresh peppers, between 3 and 7 cm, green in color, conical or truncated conical shape, thin flesh, 3 or 4 lobes and with an intense flavor. When they arrived in Galicia, they all bit, but later, and due to the climate and the type of soil, some of them stopped. chop. This is the main feature for which Padrón peppers are known today. “because some sting and others don’t,” something that is due to the presence, to a greater or lesser extent, of a substance known as capsaicin.
Read more: Gastro curiosities: why doesn’t water relieve the burning of spicy food?
© Adobe StockIt’s hard to know which ones are spicy without eating them, but you can try just biting the tip and you’ll get an idea of how spicy they are. By the way, to mitigate it It is more effective to take bread crumbs than to drink water. Some say that the ones that sting the most are those from the end of August and those that are left in the bush for five or six days, but it is difficult to detect.
How to cook Padrón peppers
Their season has traditionally always been from May to October but now, with their cultivation in greenhouses, they can be found for longer. The traditional way of preparing Padrón peppers has always been frying them in olive oil, washed and well dried previously so that they do not jump. They are drained and seasoned with some salt flakes. It is the easiest way to cook them and, in our opinion, the tastiest there is.
You have to fry them for about 4-5 minutes until we see the skin wrinkle and turn golden brown. Put a frying pan on the fire with oilwhich at first should be moderately hot so that the skin does not come off. You have to continually turn them while they fry and increase the heat at the end, but be careful not to burn them because their meat is thin. They are taken out and salted to eat freshly made. In many places, they also add a little oil from the frying itself at the end.
here you go 3 recipes with Padrón peppers, which are also ideal to put as garrison of all types of meat, poultry, fish, etc.
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Champi skewer with chorizo and Padrón peppers
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Fried eggs with ham, potatoes and Padrón peppers
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