green olives with Piment d'Espelette

Green olives with Piment d'Espelette from the Basque Country

Maison Ederki’s green olives with Piment d'Espelette are crisp Manzanilla olives, refined with the famous chili of the Basque Country. Green, firm, and with a fruity, mild heat. Not a sharp kick, but a warm tingling, just as the Basque cuisine loves it.

Green olives with Piment d'Espelette are seasoned Manzanilla olives from Maison Ederki, the Basque delicatessen based in Mouguerre near Bayonne. The Manzanilla is green, crisp, and firm to the bite. This is complemented by Piment d'Espelette, the iconic spice of the Basque Country, which coats the olives with its fruity, rather mild heat.

The green olives with Piment d'Espelette shimmer in the jar, covered in fine red specks of chili. It looks a bit like someone has sprinkled red sunlight over them. The aroma is spicy and slightly smoky, with a hint of dried bell pepper. This is how a good apéro starts in the Basque Country.

Fruity, spicy, with a gentle fire

First you taste the olive, mild and fruity, then comes the Piment d'Espelette: a warm, slightly smoky heat that lingers on the palate.

Piment d'Espelette is no daredevil among chilis. On the heat scale, it lies at a mild 4 out of 10 – noticeable, but never burning, with a fruity depth reminiscent of red bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.

The Manzanilla, in turn, is the classic apéro olive of Spain: small, firm, with thin skin and succulent flesh. Together, this creates a sophisticated interplay: mild and spicy, cool and warm at the same time—a bite that makes your hand reach for the next one all by itself. Because the heat is warm rather than sharp, even guests who usually prefer things mild will enjoy them.

For an apéro with a glass of rosé

Served cold from the jar as an aperitif with a glass of rosé or a Basque Txakoli, these olives really shine.

Serve them at a tapas gathering alongside sheep’s milk cheese and air-dried ham, or as a spicy accent on a green salad. Skewered with a Guindilla pepper and a piece of cheese, they become a quick pintxo. Pureed with a little olive oil, they make a fiery tapenade for white bread. If you are looking for the pure spice, choose the Piment d'Espelette AOP.

The green olives with Piment d'Espelette also work well when warm: added to a rice dish or braised chicken, they provide salt and a gentle fire. In a potato salad with red onions, they provide spicy highlights.

Once opened, the olives will keep in the refrigerator for a good week as long as they are covered in brine. If you prefer things milder, you will also find the same Manzanilla olives stuffed with anchovies; more Basque antipasti and preserves can be found right next door.

A Basque delicatessen since 1942

Since 1942, Maison Ederki has been doing what the Basques do best: capturing the good things of the region and putting them in a jar.

In Mouguerre, a village on the Adour near Bayonne, about 18 people work to preserve the taste of the Basque Country. The Manzanilla olives come from Spain; they are seasoned and pickled according to Basque tradition.

Piment d'Espelette belongs there like the sun belongs to summer: it has held the AOP seal since 2002 and is the only spice in France with this protected designation of origin. It may only come from ten municipalities around the village of Espelette, where the red pods dry in long garlands on house facades in late summer.

You can find more Basque specialties from Maison Ederki in our shop—from mild aperitifs to bold chilis.

Net weight 300g – Drained weight 140g

Content 300 g – Drained weight 130 g