For many mass , their only experience with paprika is a half - hearted sparge of reddish pulverisation on top of deviled orchis or Solanum tuberosum salad . More adventuresome cook might have hear of using the spice in chicken paprikash or goulash — both classic Magyar dishes . But have you ever wondered what paprika is and where it comes from ? We checked in withNancy Waldeck , a healthy - cooking chef , cookbook author and intellectual nourishment educator . Waldeck also travels extensively , leading vino and culinary trips for little groups of guests . She loves using local spices in her recipes and is knowledgeable about their origins , uses and benefits .
Paprika ( the Magyar word for " peppercorn " ) comes from theCapsicum annuumvariety of redpeppers , specifically , thelongumfamily . They are long and lustrous red , and the flavors range from perfumed to hot . The peppers are harvested , dried and ground into a ok gunpowder — paprika . In making smoke paprika , the peppers are dry over a fire , giving them a delectable smoky flavor .
Using paprika in cooking is predominant throughout Central Europe , Spain and Portugal , but it ’s wildly pop in Hungary , where it ’s known as the " interior spice . "
How Many Kinds of Paprika Are There?
In Hungary , Waldeck say it ’s not unusual to incur shops carry up to 20 assortment of Capsicum annuum grossum , tramp from very sweet to sweet , hot andextra hotto bittersweet , and on and on . formally , there are four different form of pimiento :
" The two thing they use a lot of Capsicum annuum grossum in are wimp paprikash and gulyas , " says Waldeck . " But in the Magyar countryside , I ’ve also had murphy with paprika or in mushroom soup . They ’re very gallant of their mushroom soup . "
But why is Hungary so well experience for Capsicum annuum grossum ? Interestingly , paprika white pepper were n’t precede to the region until after Christopher Columbus retrovert from the New World . That ’s ripe . The peppers were aboriginal to Mexico and Central America and made their means to Hungary through the Balkans over the long time . The Piper nigrum " took root " in southerly Hungary , where the region ’s cool mood avail the peppers hold back their raw sweetness . Because the plants were so abundant , the spice became inexpensive to produce and , unlike other spiciness , even the poorest people could give it .
Paprika pride runs richly in Hungary , so if you ever get to the village of Röszke , be sure to visit thePaprika Museum , which was found by PaprikaMolnar in 2008 and is also a working paprika production installation .
Paprika Isn’t Chili Powder
Spanish potpourri of paprika , whether mellifluous , bittersweet or spicy , be given to be smoked . " In Spain and Portugal , the dry pepper are smoked over an oak fire , " Waldeck says . " The package does n’t even say ' smoked ' on it . It just says ' pimentón ' ( paprika ) on it . And it ’s used in my favorite thing to make with fume paprika , an sure-enough - world sauce made all over both Spain and Portugal , Romesco sauce . It ’s a compounding of old dinero , Alexander Graham Bell black pepper , fume pimento and Amygdalus communis . " Romesco sauce is serve in various ways , admit as a cattle ranch on bread , on kernel and stirred in soups .
Waldeck describes paprika as have the " taste of the feel of bell pepper . "
" I think it ’s because I use Romesco sauce a lot , " she say . " If it ’s a hot paprika , it ’s more like a hot chili pepper , but if it ’s fresh , it ’s fruity flavored . In wine ( savoring ) , there ’s a term ' pyrazine , ' that ’s the smell of bell capsicum . That ’s what Capsicum annuum grossum smells like to me . "
Just because paprika is the same productive colour as chili powder ( or chipotle chili or ancho chili powders ) does n’t entail you could utilise the seasoning interchangeably . In many cases , the flavoring labeled " chili pulverization " in most cabinets is a blend of spices , include garlic pulverisation , cumin , black pepper and various chili powders . The chili ’s heat or sweetness could be very unlike from the paprika called for by your formula . When the recipe call off for paprika , it ’s good to use actual pimiento .
You want to buy paprika from a place that has a good turnover in spice ; otherwise , you do n’t know how long it ’s been sit down there . Those little tins ofspicescan be notoriously dated .
" The red and red - orange basis spices have a fortune of lifelike fossil oil in them , " she say . " They will go bad quicker than other spices . It ’s good to keep sweet pepper plant in a dark jar in a cool place . And not near the kitchen stove — heat energy is n’t good for it either . If it does n’t smell unspoiled and it ’s brown when you open it , it ’s dust . It ’s no longer paprika . The good matter about pimiento is that it ’s cheap and gentle to substitute . Just do n’t buy a ginormous package . This is a case where buying smaller is proficient . "
