The story
Peppers came to Spain from the Americas, and the story goes that Franciscan monks brought the seeds of this small green variety from Mexico in the 1600s to their convent at Herbón, a parish in the municipality of Padrón in Galicia. Local farmers grew them in the valley for generations, picking them young and green and frying them in olive oil with coarse salt. Most are mild, but a few bite, as the Galician saying goes: some are hot and some are not. Long a Galician secret, they spread to tapas bars across Spain and beyond. Since 2010 the EU has protected the name Pemento de Herbón.
Rival claims
Grown mainly in the parish of Herbón, inside this municipality; the protected name is Pimiento de Herbón.
Also known as Padrón peppers, pementos de Padrón, pimientos de Herbón, pemento de Herbón.
On the Meridish menu
Pimientos de Padrón was the starter course on menu No. 29 on October 29, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Little green peppers blistered in olive oil and salted; most are mild, but now and then one bites. Monks are said to have brought the seeds from Mexico centuries ago.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
