Daphnis and Chloe Smoked Chili Flakes

In Northern Greece, the culinary importance of peppers dates back to the Ottoman Empire—and, still are a beloved ingredient in kitchens across the country. One of the most noteworthy is the Karatzova pepper, grown in Almopia—a region in the Northernmost part of Greece, bordering North Macedonia—known for its sweet and mildly spicy flavor. Now, there are only a select number of farmers cultivating this local variety.

For Daphnis & Chloe's Smoked Chili Flakes, the Karatzova peppers are allowed to ripen through the end of the season in September. The peppers are harvests, washed and hand-sorted before being slowly dried on birch wood for 10 days. During the smoking, the farmers work in shifts tending the fire night and day to make sure it never goes out. After this smoking and drying process, the peppers are destemmed and crushed manually to create a rich, deeply smoky chili flake with a robust sweetness and subtle, building heat.