In Portuguese American cooking, pimenta moida—pureed, salted, and fermented red peppers—is a vital ingredient. Go to any Portuguese/Azorean immigrant enclave (such as where I live in East Providence, Rhode Island) and you’ll find pimenta moida (also called pimenta picada) in huge jars not only at specialty markets, but also on the shelves of big-name grocery stores. It’s that important.
Often made with juicy and slightly sweet Shepherd peppers (though some versions use hot peppers, so be sure to check the label), it adds a wonderful fresh and piquant pepper flavor to traditional dishes such as shrimp Mozambique and Portuguese beef stew.