Bring a little Calabrian chaos (the delicious kind) to your kitchen. Bomba di Calabria Hot Pepper Paste from Azienda Agricola Scalzo is a bold, rustic pepper paste made in Calabria—Italy’s famous land of peperoncino—with a flavor that’s fiery, savory, and deeply addictive.

At its core, this is crushed hot Calabrian peppers blended with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt—simple ingredients, big attitude. The result is a paste that delivers heat plus real pepper flavor, not just burn.

Product details (common specs)

• Origin: Calabria, Italy

• Ingredients: hot Calabrian peppers, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt (often listed as 82% peppers

Percent addition is based on meat weight. One 1000 g jar will season approximately:

• 1% paste → ~210 lb of soppressata

• 2% paste → ~105 lb

• 4% paste → ~52.5 lb

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.