Aleppo Pepper

Aleppo pepper is a variety of Capsicum annuum named after the city on the Silk Road. It grows in northern Syria and across the border in Turkey; the chilli itself came from South America among the New World crops, alongside potatoes and tomatoes. The pods are ripened to a burgundy colour, semi-dried, de-seeded and coarsely crushed into flakes. In Turkey the same product is called pul biber, and in Armenian halebi bibar.

What the taste does

The heat sits around 10000 on the Scoville scale, which is moderate. It does not hit at once but builds slowly. There is a fruity, raisin-like sweetness to it and a mild cumin-like undertone; it is compared to the ancho chilli, but oilier and slightly salty, because salt is often used in the drying. The flakes contain no seeds or inner flesh, one of the reasons the heat stays measured.

Where it belongs on the table

It is the standard spice of the mezze table: muhammara takes both its colour and its taste from it, it is dusted over hummus, it lands on toasted bread and on eggs. It substitutes directly for crushed red pepper or paprika almost anywhere. In Turkey pul biber counts as the third most used spice after salt and black pepper, and it holds a comparable place in an Aleppo kitchen.

Buying it and carrying it home

Put your hand into the flakes at the stall. A good batch feels damp and oily and leaves a faint mark on the fingers; anything dusty, dry and pale in colour has been sitting too long. The name describes a style and a variety rather than one field. The pepper grows on both sides of the border, so “Aleppo” on a label does not by itself say where it came from — ask at the counter. As a dry spice it travels without trouble, but seal it in a zip bag, because the smell gets everywhere.

Its reputation abroad grew after Paula Wolfert’s book on eastern Mediterranean cooking in 1994; outside the region it sells under the name Aleppo pepper.