Highly prized dried red pepper from the Basque region of France brings a novel heat and color to any dish. Matiz Piment d’Espelette (literally “pepper from Espelette”) is a dried and ground red pepper from the region surrounding the town of Espelette in the Basque country of southern France. It is highly prized by chefs and home cooks alike for its mildly sweet-spicy heat and aromas of fruit and dried hay.