A Little Taste of Spain
STORY BY TARA ALMASSI
photo by Annmarie Kent
Professor harvests specialty peppers
As Sean Dwyer nibbles off the end of a slender, wrinkly green pepper, sautéed in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, a scalding sensation takes over from his head to his gut. He takes a gulp of freshly squeezed orange juice — the only thing that will numb the burn.
A Padrón Chili pepper is not an average green pepper. Although known to be mild, approximately 1 in 10 explode with an excruciatingly hot sensation.
Dwyer, a Western Spanish professor, is one of the only people in the Pacific Northwest to grow this single heirloom, non-hybrid species, which originated in Spain, he says.
Dwyer reminisces about his first experience eating Padrón peppers in Madrid with a group of 20 Western students he took on a study abroad trip in 2011.
After a long and exhausting day roaming the crowded streets of Madrid, Dwyer and his students sat in a quaint restaurant owned by a couple from the oceanic community Galicia, a town northwest of Madrid.
His favorite part of the day was sitting with a glass of his favorite red wine in hand and a plate of tapas — Spanish small plates and appetizers — while people watching in the plaza. One of the tapas was the traditional sautéed Padrón pepper.
“There is a peacefulness after the workday is complete [in] sitting back, enjoying food which includes these peppers, having good conversation and watching the people walk by,” Dwyer says.
The robust smell and flavor fascinated him.
“In a period of 4 weeks, I ate these peppers over 15 times,” he says.
Once back in the United States, Dwyer found the peppers he had grown so fond of were difficult to find due to the climate.
His craving for the Padrón pepper heightened, as he felt homesick missing warm, sunny days in Madrid.
In winter 2013, one of Dwyer’s previous students brought him back a packet of Padrón seeds from Spain. He immediately began researching the best ways to grow peppers by going to local Bellingham nurseries and searching the Internet. He found that most people suggested growing the seedlings indoors.
“[I] carefully hovered over these [peppers] until early November. They’re like my babies,” he says.
For Dwyer, these are more than just peppers — they comfort him.
Dyer is able to share this feeling of nostalgia with Western Spanish professor Paqui Paredes, who grew up in Galicia. The two often use food and conversation about food to share their experiences of the culture, Paredes says.
When Paredes moved to the United States, she realized how much she missed them.
“The smoky flavor takes me back to sitting at a bar in Spain, having drinks and laughing with friends,” Paredes says.
As Dwyer picks up another pepper, he smells the freshness, which reminds him of a green pepper. As he takes a small bite, the smoky and peppery flavor takes over his mouth, transporting him back to Spain — his favorite place that makes him feel at home.