This Calabrian sweet pepper paste is made the traditional way from fresh peppers grown throughout Calabria. The peppers are harvested, seeded, briefly blanched, and puréed, then preserved with only a small addition of salt. The purée is jarred and pasteurized for shelf stability—simple, clean, and packed with real pepper flavor.
It’s a go-to ingredient for anyone chasing authentic Soppressata di Calabria and Salsiccia Calabrese, and it’s also used in many ’Nduja-style recipes when you want the pepper aroma and color without pushing the heat. Beyond salumi, this paste is incredible in fresh sausage, pasta, sauces, marinades, and as a base for anything that benefits from deep, rounded pepper character.
Sweet paste is also the perfect partner to Calabrian hot paste—you can blend them to control heat while keeping the total pepper impact where you want it. It pairs beautifully with Calabrian pepper powders, ground dried peppers, or Calabrian flakes as well.
Sold by the jar: 1 jar = 1000 g
Usage guide for Soppressata di Calabria
Percent addition is based on meat weight. One 1000 g jar will season approximately:
In most traditional-style formulas, 4% is a practical upper limit. If you want to keep heat low, use sweet paste up to that level—or blend sweet + hot to reach 4% total while dialing in your preferred spice level. Many makers also find the 2% range delivers excellent flavor with higher yield.
Important texture note when using pepper powders
When combining paste with pepper powders, keep powders below 2%—and ideally around 1.5% max (sweet, hot, or combined). Higher levels of powder can interfere with protein bind during drying, which can lead to a crumbly texture and slices that fall apart.
For best results: let the paste do the heavy lifting, and use powders as a supporting layer for extra aroma and complexity.
