It’s a mad, mad, mad mad world of Basque peppers featuring a virtual who’s who of the pepper variety kingdom. Manuel Recio, of Viridian Farms, takes us on a guided tour of the many star-studded attractions peppered throughout his farm.

Here’s a list of Basque peppers making a cameo appearance in this video:

Pimiento Andaluz; Piment d’Anglet; Piparra Vasca; Pimiento de Padrón; Gernika; Piquillo; Cristal; and Choricero

Recio grows about 20 different varieties of peppers, from the Basque regions of northern Spain, southern France and southern Italy. Each pepper has its native origins, and possesses its own individual identity that is a part of the local cuisine.

Beyond the inherent characteristics of a particular pepper variety, the taste and relative sweetness or spiciness of peppers are also influenced by a number factors during their growing season, including: the amount of available sunlight, the amounts and average distribution of rainfall, temperature, soil characteristics, and the time of harvest.

As Recio explains, it’s not always possible to judge the spiciness of a pepper from its appearance. For those who prefer the less spicy peppers, good news—most of the Basque varieties fall low on the spiciness scale.

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