Espelette pepper comes from the Basque village of Espellete in southwestern France. It is so beloved and special to the people in France, that it was classified as a AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlée, meaning the name is protected, like Champagne or Roquefort cheese for example). Its heat is similar to that of a mild jalapeno, yet its flavour is far above it, so much so that, as people here use black pepper as a staple for everything, the people in Basque use this spice as their own staple, replacing the black pepper.