Espelette
Encyclopedia
Espelette is a commune
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
department in south-western France
.
It lies in the traditional Basque
province of Labourd
.
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'.
s, 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.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
department in south-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies in the traditional Basque
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country situated within the western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques constitutes the north-eastern part of the Basque Country....
province of Labourd
Labourd
Labourd is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. It is historically one of the seven provinces of the traditional Basque Country....
.
Sights
The town is attractive with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected sixteenth century church, Saint-Etienne, has a BaroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
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 pepperEspelette pepper
The Espelette pepper is a variety of chili pepper that is cultivated in the French commune of Espelette, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, traditionally the northern territory of the Basque people...
s, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham
Bayonne ham
Bayonne Ham or Jambon de Bayonne is an air dried salted ham that takes its name from the ancient port city of Bayonne in the far South West of France, a city located in both the cultural regions of Basque Country and Gascony...
. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
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.