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Original poster

Padron Peppers

26 replies

SummaLuvin · 03/11/2022 23:10

The myth is that 1 in 10 is spicy. I must have had well over 100 padron peppers in my life and none of them have been at all spicy. None of my family and friends have had a spicy one. Is this fake news to get us all to keep buying plates of blistered and delicious peppers in the hope of a surprise? Has anyone actually had a hot one?

OP posts:
RockingMyFiftiesNot · 03/11/2022 23:19

I've probably had a couple of hundred too, in restaurants here and abroad. I've also bought them from Sainsbury's to cook at home. Never had a hot one, didn't even know it was a thing until I read your OP!

hackneyzoo · 03/11/2022 23:43

Just to reassure you, I had loads in northern Spain this summer and they were
mostly mild, but had some super hot ones too. Not a myth. They are bloody lovely.

Pallisers · 03/11/2022 23:47

I've had two hot ones on separate occasions. Both in restaurants in Spain many years ago. It was quite an experience. DH also had one in Spain years ago too.

We go to a fairly authentic spanish tapas restaurant in the US quite regularly over the past 20 years and always have pimentos a la padron. Never got a hot one. I suspect they are using a modified pepper.

MarmiteCoriander · 03/11/2022 23:49

Never had one in either Spain nor restaurants in the UK nor the supermarket ones I cooked myself.

MadameSzyszkoBohusz · 03/11/2022 23:57

Not totally a myth, you do get spicy ones, but I've had maybe 3 from the dozens I've eaten over the years.

glassfully · 04/11/2022 07:58

I ate 4 at a pub and they were all very spicy. Everyone else at the table had at least 1 that was spicy. We used to buy them at Sainsburys and they'd always been mild so I wasn't expecting it. We grew our own this year and they were all mild.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/11/2022 08:10

I've often wondered this as I've also eaten hundreds, if not thousands and never had a spicy one.

I was actually thinking about writing to BBC More or Less, to see if they could find where the '1 in 10' stat came from. I've read about it many times, but never in an authoritative source, only ever guidebooks, blogs etc.

My theory is that some joker once threw in a jalapeno for a laugh, it got written about in some guidebook somewhere and then oft repeated with no basis in fact/science.

mrsbyers · 04/11/2022 08:11

I grew some in the greenhouse and they were ridiculously hot - ruined a batch of curry adding them before we realised

Slimjimtobe · 04/11/2022 08:11

Yes in Galicia I found every so often you would get a really hot one

CantSleepCountingSheep · 04/11/2022 08:12

Mmmm padron peppers 🫑 😋

Quaffee · 04/11/2022 08:20

My son had some in a restaurant and the first one he took a big bite out of was the hottest thing he had ever eaten! He likes very spicy too! He was spluttering and choking for ages.

Clarabellawilliamson · 04/11/2022 08:32

It's not a myth but the ones you buy In The UK have pretty well had it bred out I think. I grew some myself once and only ate one, it was the spiciest thing I have ever eaten! It blew my head off!

toastofthetown · 04/11/2022 13:58

I’ve had many a padron pepper in both the UK and Spain and never any heat at all. I was wondering if it was a myth.

BarbaraWoodlouse · 04/11/2022 14:00

Not a myth but agree the ratio is far more than 1:10

Original poster
SummaLuvin · 04/11/2022 14:01

I will keep trying and report back to this thread if I ever get one!

OP posts:
Hensintheskirting · 04/11/2022 14:54

I had a plate of padron peppers the other day and about 4 or 5 of the plate of maybe 25 or so, were really spicy. I wonder if it has to do with the season? At the height of summer you don't tend to get spicy ones...

HalfWower · 04/11/2022 17:12

I had forgotten this theory because I've never had a hot one. I bet it is a myth!

Chewbecca · 04/11/2022 17:15

I thought it was a myth as I cook them virtually weekly every summer before a Sunday BBQ - but this summer DS finally got a hot one. It was really hot too! I buy them in Waitrose, they're British grown at the end of summer.

ErinAndTonic · 04/11/2022 17:28

You've reminded me how much I love these. The only place I can find them regularly is at Lidl though!

Choconut · 04/11/2022 17:30

Had a few large plates of them over the years in Galicia, always a few hot ones.

Georgyporky · 04/11/2022 17:35

Not a myth, happened to me several times in Spain
At one restaurant, when the waiter saw me gasp he produced a tiny dish of yogurt !

thenumberseven · 06/11/2022 20:11

"Los pimientos de Padrón, unos pican y otros no"
It's no myth, most are not spicy but some are, it probably has to do with watering and weather , lots of water to the plant less likely to get hot peppers, little water and lots of sun more likely to get the occasional hot one.

GerbilsForever24 · 07/11/2022 12:04

It is not a myth. However, I have noticed that the ones you buy in supermarkets here are never hot. I suspect the heat has been bred out of them. Unfortunately, most spanish restaurants are now also serving local ones and so you don't get hot ones from them either.

When I first started eating padron peppers regularly - probably about 15 years ago - I'd say the ratio was at least 1 in 10. They first started appearing in supermarkets when you could buy them, importated from Spain, in waitrose. Those also included some hot ones.

But now, pretty much never.

Did you know that there is an annual padron pepper festival in Galicia in August? One day I might get down there.

Original poster
SummaLuvin · 14/07/2025 13:16

2 1/2 years later and I finally had my first ever hot padron pepper yesterday!!!!

OP posts:
GerbilsForever24 · 14/07/2025 13:29

SummaLuvin · 14/07/2025 13:16

2 1/2 years later and I finally had my first ever hot padron pepper yesterday!!!!

From supermarket or in a restaurant?

I am a bit sad that you can't seem to buy the spanish ones locally anymore. And it might be my imagination, but I feel like the ones that we buy now are just generally a bet less flavoursome!