Organic Ground Red Chili Pepper

High spiciness 8/10 — recommended by the Italian Chili Academy

Grown, dried and ground by monks: just one ingredient, no additions

Organic Ground Red Chili Pepper from the Monastery of Siloam

A jar containing just one thing: ground organic red chili peppers. No salt, no anti-caking agents, no paprika or other spices to dilute the product—and the difference is visible in the color, a vivid, natural red, and noticeable in the aroma, fruity and intense even before it stings. The spiciness is high, 8 out of 10: a serious power, to be measured with respect, but always accompanied by the flavor of the fruit, never just a burning sensation. The chili pepper is grown, dried, and packaged directly by the monks in the monastery gardens in the Maremma region of Tuscany, and is recommended by the Italian Chili Pepper Academy.
 
 
 

The roots of this spice lie in the "poor man's spice"

When chili pepper arrived in Europe from the Americas at the end of the 15th century, it found a continent where black pepper was worth as much as gold and traveled along routes controlled by a few merchants. Chili pepper, however, grew everywhere; all it needed was a pot or a corner of a garden. Within a few decades, it became the spice everyone could afford, and Southern Italy adopted it with an enthusiasm that has never waned. It was called, not surprisingly, "the poor man's drug." But it also played a crucial practical role, because in times without refrigerators, capsaicin helped preserve cured meats and preserves longer, and its heat made simple, repetitive foods edible. Today, when we have an abundance of spices, chili pepper endures for a different reason: because its heat, when paired with the flavor of the fruit as in this case, brings life to dishes.
 
 
 

Choosing Siloam Ground Chili Pepper means taking care of yourself

Capsaicin, the molecule responsible for spiciness, has long been studied for its effects on metabolism and circulation, while chili pepper itself is one of the most concentrated plant sources of vitamin C and carotenoids, the pigments that give it its red color. It also has a practical advantage in the kitchen: its intensity allows you to reduce the salt, because a hint of spiciness gives a dish a flavorful perception that would otherwise be sought through salting. Being very spicy, it should be used gradually, adding it during cooking and tasting: you can always increase the amount, but never go back.
 
 
 

How to Best Use: Organic Ground Red Chili Pepper

• IN THE OIL, TO ADD FLAVOUR FROM THE BEGINNING: toast it for a few seconds over low heat in theSiloe Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil before adding the other ingredients: this is how the capsaicin dissolves and distributes throughout the dish, instead of remaining in patches.
• IN TRADITIONAL FIRST COURSES: essential in an amatriciana with Tuscia pillow, or in a garlic, oil and chilli sauce Organic Senatore Cappelli Spaghetti; also excellent melted in a pan with the Menaica Anchovies in Slowfood Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• ON LEGUMES, VEGETABLES AND EVEN IN CHOCOLATE: a pinch enlivens legume and vegetable soups sautéed in a pan, and a hint on a square of Organic Dark Chocolate 71% It's a combination that the Aztecs knew long before us.

The Producer: Siloam Monastery

The Siloe Monastery is a Benedictine community that cultivates the land around the monastery, in the province of Grosseto, according to organic farming principles. Among its crops are fourteen different varieties of chili pepper, some native and others from around the world, recovered and preserved, along with ancient grains, black chickpeas, saffron, and the Ciliegiolo grape.
 
 
 

Ingredients

Ground red chili peppers from organic farming.

High heat: 8/10. Recommended by the Italian Chili Pepper Academy.
 
 
 

Food container

Store in a cool, dry place, away from light, with the jar tightly closed: light degrades carotenoids and fades the color, while humidity causes the powder to harden. Avoid keeping it over the stove or scooping it out with a wet spoon. A properly stored ground chili pepper retains its aroma and spiciness for a long time; when the color turns brown, it has lost some of its flavor.
 
 
 

Follow us on Instagram for lots of news: @alpassofood

We answer all your questions about WhatsApp