Fire From Andalucía

"Picante" across Spain usually still means a polite tingle, at most!

Until now!

"Spicy" elements in Spanish cuisine still lean towards mild peppers and flavours.

Christopher Colombus brought back tomatoes, potatoes, corn, cacao, tobacco, as well as hot chili peppers, mistaking their heat for that of black pepper (pimienta) and mistakenly naming them pimiento or "pepper”.

These flavours are apparent even in dishes today like patatas bravas (with a spicy tomato sauce) and gambas al pil-pil, but extreme heat is rare, nothing like the capsaicin apocalypse that conquered the rest of the world.

By the mid-1500s, various Capsicum annuum types were relatively common garden plants in Spain, and even incorporated into some dishes, especially in regions like Extremadura. However, it was 16th century monks at the Monastery of Yuste in La Vera that really started cultivating and preserving them by slow drying over smoldering oak wood, thus creating the signature Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera).

This mild-to-moderate smoky spice (sweet, bittersweet, or slightly hot varieties) became central to Spanish cuisine: chorizo, paella, stews, cured meats, and more. Other local peppers are strongly integrated into local cuisine and recipes, such as Ñoras (small, round, sweet-dried peppers from Murcia) for sauces like romesco; Guindillas and padróns (mild-to-moderate heat, often fried or pickled), green Basque Piparras, as well as Pimentos de Padron.

Cada botella de edición limitada se elabora a mano con ingredientes naturales y sinceros, sin atajos, solo fuego puro de Andalucía con alma mediterránea.

Chili peppers in Spain?

Spain boats boast no fewer than 10 Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication peppers, each with its own unique characteristics, namely, Pimiento de Herbón, Pimiento de Mougán, Pimiento Asado del Bierzo, Pimiento da Arnoia, Pimiento do Couto, Pimiento de Oímbra, Pimiento de Fresno-Benavente, Pimiento de Gernika, Pimientos del Piquillo de Lodosa, Pimiento Riojano

In Andalucia alone, around 273 varieties of Capsicum annuum have been catalogued, primarily in the Alpujarras region, but can also be found throughout the rest of the region.

The types typically are: el pimiento italiano, de adorno, del terreno, del país, de colorear, del piquillo, cuatro cascos, porrón, cornicabra, dulce, malagueño, cerecilla, de freír, bombacho, ñora, roteño, corto, blanquillo, del padrón, guindilla, tres cascos, hocico de buey, de faro-lillo, con pellejo, dulce de matanza, liso, rizado, colorado, cuatro cantos, de conchar, blanco, de colgar, lengua de vaca, aíces, negrillo, de chacina, cuatro morros, amaillo picante, de canena, boca becerro, de Cazorla, etc.

La Azada isn’t just about hot sauces; it’s the culmination of a lifetime of observation that food deserves boldness, and that the right level of fire fixes (almost) everything.

Creemos que los mejores sabores nacen de la paciencia, el oficio artesanal y un profundo compromiso con la tierra.

Combinamos pimientos españoles seleccionados a mano con ingredientes locales, honrando siempre la rica historia que ha moldeado Andalucía durante más de mil años.

Cada lote que elaboramos es pequeño, auténtico y cocinado al fuego. Sin atajos industriales, sin trucos artificiales, solo ingredientes puros y un picante honesto.

Nuestra inspiración proviene del vibrante y diverso tapiz culinario de España. ¡Un lugar donde los mercados locales rebosan de color y sabor, y donde cada hogar guarda su propia receta secreta de salsa!

We celebrate the classic, the new, and the forgotten, seeking out the rare, the unexpected pairings, and letting the land guide our recipes. This is Fire from Andalucía.

El sabor de España en cada llama!

¡Nuestra escala de picantes!

¡Bienvenidos a nuestra escala de picante auténticamente española! ¿Eres lo suficientemente valiente o vas a pedir leche fría ya? 🌶️🇪🇸

1/10 Nada de Nada (“Nothing at All”)
2/10 Besito de Suegra (“Mother-in-law’s Kiss”)
3/10 Calorcito (“A Little Hot”)
4/10 Picantito (“Small Heat”)
5/10 ¡Me Pica Ya! (“Now It Burns!”)
6/10 ¡Que Bochorno! (“Now That’s Hot!”)
7/10 Sudando La Gota Gordo (“Sweating Buckets”)
8/10 ¡Llama al 112! (“Call 112!”)
9/10 ¡Hostia P**a! (“Holy Mother!”)
10/10 Venganza del Diablo (“Devil’s Revenge”)
11/10 ¡Me Cago en la Leche! (“I Sh*t Myself”)

La Azada is more than just a name. It’s a tool, a symbol of working the land with our hands, of respecting the cycles of nature, and crafting flavour the right way, never the easy way!