Padron

Padrón, or Herbón, is a landrace variety of chilli peppers typical for the municipality of Padron in Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is said Franciscan monks from the small town of Herbón brought back the original seeds from the Mexican state of Tabasco in the 17th century.  The variety has had a long time to adapt to the local climate and become unique for the region.

In Spain it is common to harvest the fruit when it is green and unripe to be served grilled or fried in oil with a little flaked salt as a starter or tapas. We are told by Spanish friends that eating Padron tapas with friends is sometimes known as playing the Russian Chilli Roulette because while most fruits are mild the odd one is much stronger (ca. 500-2500 on the Scoville scale).

If you let the fruit fully ripen it shifts to bright red and becomes a bit hotter. The fruits are ca 5-7 cm long with a blunt tip. While the flavours change a bit they generally have a pleasant sweet and slightly fruity chilli flavours, possibly with slightly earthy or nutty notes.

The plant is relatively large and bushy why it benefits from support to prevent it from falling over when it becomes heavier from the fruits.

Padron is simple and fun to grow and gives a good crop of chillies. We find them good to make dried chilli flake powder from.