Dotted beside the pepper-growing fields in La Vera are little two-storey smokehouses. In autumn, strings of fresh peppers are hung up in the rafters on the first floor, and then smoked over smouldering holm oak fires lit on the floor below. The peppers remain in the smokehouse for about two weeks. As well as imbuing the fruit with a heavenly mellow flavour, this smoking process almost completely dehydrates the peppers and ensures that they stay fiery red rather than a dull brown.