Doux long d'Antibes Pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Was this rare and sweet pepper from Antibes on the French Riviera Pablo Picasso's favorite variety? At least one restaurant owner we know in Antibes claims it was.
This super-sweet pepper vareity may or may not have been Picasso's favorite when he lived and painted in Antibes. Based in the Château Grimaldi for six months in 1946, Picasso enjoyed the sea, light and of course the cusine in the stunning city of Antibes. Château Grimaldi was built on the ancient Greek ruins of the city of Antipolis and the beautiful castle is now the Picasso museum with a phenomenal view of the Mediterranean coastline.
Between the two World Wars, the Antibes pepper was widely grown in the region and was a mainstay in local dishes. In the 1970's, the pepper became an important agricultural product of the region.
The plants are fairly short, rarely exceeding 24", and are quite prolific with fruit. The flavor of the pepper is very sweet with citrusy notes and if you have spent time in the south of France you'll swear you taste a little bit of the sea. The bright yellow color is cheerful and the fruits generally grow from 6-7" long with a nice tapered shape.
Origin: Botanic research with a special emphasis on plant acclimatisation has been conducted at Villa Thuret, in Cap d’Antibes, since 1857. It was created by Gustave Thuret, a French botanist with a special interest in algae, and was the first privately funded research laboratory in France. A friend of our family in Nice works at The Thuret Botanical Garden and gave us the parent seed of this wonderful pepper from her personal collection.
(Approximately 20 seeds per packet)
Germination Rate: 80% tested 7/29/25
Planting Instructions: We recommend starting peppers indoors in a sunny and warm location 4-6 weeks before last frost in spring. Plant outdoors in full sun after danger of frost in spring. Note: pepper seeds need soil temperatures to be at least 70 F to germinate and we use a heating pad under the seedling tray to maintain temperature.
