Espelette

French commune
nomcommune=Espelette
Church of Espelette
région=Aquitaine
département=Pyrénées-Atlantiques
arrondissement=Bayonne
canton=Espelette (chief town)
insee=64213
cp=64250
maire=Florence Gracie
mandat=2006–2008
intercomm=Communauté de communes Errobi
longitude=-1.44639
latitude=43.34139
alt moy=77 m
alt mini=33 m
alt maxi=749 m
hectares=2,685
km²=26.85
sans=1,879
date-sans=1999
dens=69.98
date-dens=1999

Espelette ( _eu. Ezpeleta) is a commune and village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques "département" (64), Aquitaine, in south west France, formerly in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.

ights

The town is attractive with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected 16th century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones. There is also the grave of local woman Agnés Souret, the first woman chosen as 'the most beautiful woman in France'.

Red peppers

Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/32664 Ezpeleta in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa — Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)]
* [http://www.pimentdespelette.com/ Piment d'Espelette] , site dedicated to the pepper