Espelette Pepper Mustard

Moutarde Piment d'Espelette French mustard with Basque chili

Moutarde Piment d'Espelette by Rue Traversette is a French mustard featuring the protected chili from the Basque country. Made classically from mustard seeds and vinegar, rounded off with honey, it has a rust-red color and a fruity, smoky character rather than a burning heat.

Moutarde Piment d'Espelette by Rue Traversette is a French mustard from the Languedoc, not Dijon. Mustard seeds and vinegar form the classic base, balanced by honey and salt. The Basque ingredient provides both the warm, rust-red color and the fruity, smoky note for which Piment d'Espelette is famous.

Mildly smoky rather than burning hot

Moutarde Piment d'Espelette sits in the 110g jar with a rust-red, velvety texture, noticeably darker than any ordinary mustard, and smells of dried bell peppers.

The first impression is surprisingly mild. Piment d'Espelette is a chili with little fire and a lot of aroma; it tastes fruity, slightly smoky, almost like sunshine. The mustard heat only follows afterward—a brief peak that rises into the nose and fades away quickly.

Spicy, smoky, fruity—that is how it remains on the palate, and the honey ensures it never becomes harsh. A mustard with character that you can even eat by the spoonful.

The heat of the Piment d'Espelette is roughly at the level of paprika powder, significantly lower than that of a hot chili pepper. What it brings instead is aroma, which is exactly why it is used in Basque cuisine more like a spice than a chili. In this mustard, it takes on both roles.

For bratwurst, merguez, and burgers

In our selection of mustards, the Moutarde Piment d'Espelette is the warmest and the one that best suits everything that comes off the grill.

It is the obvious choice for bratwurst and merguez, as well as for grilled meat and fish. Stirred into meatloaf, meatballs, or burger patties, it seasons from within, and it works well with potatoes of any kind. It is especially delicious in a hearty vinaigrette for bean salad.

In a cheese sauce, a spoonful of it provides both color and depth. It contains honey, so the mustard is vegetarian.

A chili with its own name

Piment d'Espelette comes from the village of Espelette in the French Basque Country, where the red pods hang on house facades to dry in late summer. It has been AOP protected since 2000, and only ten municipalities are permitted to grow it.

It is processed here far from there, in Saint-André-de-Sangonis in the Hérault. That is where Stéphane Strobl has been running his cannery since 2015, where about ten people cut by hand, cook in kettles, and gently pasteurize—with no preservatives, no artificial colors, and no artificial flavors.

He began in 2005 on the Rue de la Traversette in the neighboring village of Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens, which gave his brand its name. Before that, he sold corks to the local winemakers. In June 2026, the Hérault Chamber of Trades and Crafts recognized him as a responsible entrepreneur.

Keep chilled to maintain vibrant color

Once opened, the jar should be refrigerated to keep the color vibrant and the aroma fresh. Those who prefer it lighter and more acidic will find its counterpart, featuring citrus fruits, in the Moutarde 3 agrumes. And those who wish to pursue the Basque theme further will find what they are looking for in the Tartine au Pays Basque.