Cornichons with Chili – Pickles

Spicy Cornichons with Chili from the Loire Valley

Martin-Pouret’s chili cornichons are crunchy French gherkins, pickled in Orléans white wine vinegar and spiced up with bird's eye chili. Not mushy mass-produced goods, but little cucumbers with crunch, seasoning, and heat.

Cornichons with chili are spicy, tangy gherkins from Martin-Pouret in Orléans, France. The small cucumbers are grown in the Loire Valley and are pickled immediately after harvest in the company's own white wine vinegar – with white onions, Guérande salt, mustard seeds, and hot bird's eye chili. This keeps them crisp and gives them a good amount of heat.

As you twist off the lid, the tangy scent of vinegar rises up, followed by that signature crunch between your teeth and, finally, the heat. Small cucumbers for those who like it spicy – a jar that should be a staple of every savory snack board.

Crunchy, sour, with the heat of bird's eye chili

This spicy version tastes robustly sour and distinctly piquant. The bird's eye chili provides a clean, clear heat that is balanced by mustard seeds and herbs rather than just burning. This gives every little cucumber an aromatic depth that goes far beyond simple sourness.

Freshly harvested from the Loire Valley, the cucumbers go straight into the jar – keeping them firm and crisp rather than soft. In addition to chili, they contain white onions, coriander, and tarragon, plus salt from Guérande in Brittany and mustard seeds from the Val de Loire. These gherkins are more than just sour: they are spicy, aromatic, and have a clear, artisanal profile.

For snacks, cheese, and hearty platters

These spicy gherkins go well with savory dishes: game and poultry pâtés, roast beef, cold cut and cheese platters. They are also a crunchy accompaniment to potato salad, meatballs, fried potatoes, or head cheese, providing freshness and acidity to balance out heavy meals. Even a simple buttered bread with ham becomes a little treat with a few slices on top.

Finely chopped in a homemade remoulade or placed across hot dogs and burgers, they really show off their heat. On a snack board with the country pâté with gherkins from the same producer, they are the piquant counterpoint to the rich meat. If you prefer things milder, grab the classic cornichons without the heat – you can find them right next to these in our shop.

Pickled in Orléans vinegar by Martin-Pouret

For the taste of a gherkin, the vinegar is the most important factor – and Martin-Pouret makes its own. As early as 1580, a royal decree recognized the vinegars and mustards from Orléans, and by 1810, the city on the Loire had around 400 vinegar makers.

Today, only one house remains: Maison Martin-Pouret, the last vinegar master in the city since 1797. Their white wine vinegar is aged according to the slow *méthode d'Orléans* in oak barrels before the freshly harvested cucumbers take a bath in it. In 2019, David Matheron and Paul-Olivier Claudepierre took over the house and continue this over 200-year-old craft – along with cornichons, they also produce wine vinegars and French mustard from Martin-Pouret. It’s impressive what good vinegar can do for a little cucumber.

Finely chopped, they enhance any tartare

Served chilled from the jar, these spicy cucumbers offer the best crunch. A few finely chopped ones will elevate any remoulade, potato salad, or tartare. Once opened, keep them in the refrigerator and always ensure the cornichons are covered in vinegar; this keeps them crunchy and aromatic for a long time.

Total weight 555g – Drained weight 270g