America's Oldest City Has a Pepper You Can Only Really Taste Here
St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, is known for its unique culinary heritage, and at the heart of it lies the datil pepper.
This small, yellow-orange pepper, similar in heat to a habanero, has a distinct sweet and tangy flavor that sets it apart from other chili peppers.
The origins of the datil pepper remain a mystery, but it is believed to have been brought to St. Augustine by early immigrants from the island of Minorca or through the African slave trade.
The pepper has become an integral part of the city's cuisine, featuring prominently in dishes like Minorcan chowder, datil pepper chicken wings, and shrimp and grits.
While datil peppers can be found outside of St. Augustine, they thrive best in the local climate and soil.
This exclusivity has made the datil pepper a point of pride for the city, much like how pineapples are to Hawaii.
Visitors to St. Augustine can experience the unique flavor of the datil pepper in various dishes and products, from hot sauces and jellies to mustards and spice blends, all made with peppers grown right in the nation's oldest city.