Week 2

Have you ever stopped and wondered, “What is Paprika really made from?”.

Paprika, it’s a spice seen in just about every kitchen and it’s used by many like it’s candy. Originating in Central Mexico, paprika quickly spread to Spain through trading ships going to and from the colonies of the New World. Eventually landing in Africa, Asia, and Central Europe where it was adopted heavily by the Hungarians. First starting as a peasant spice brought to Hungary by the Turks, only later to turn into the iconic symbol for Hungarian cuisine we know and love today.

Many of us just buy paprika in a spice jar from the store without a thought to what it is made from because we are so accustomed to using it in our dishes now. But have you ever questioned its true origins? Well, wonder no more because it’s actually not as complicated as you may think.

What is this spice?

Ground Paprika comes from the Paprika Plant, or to be more exact, the pepper of this plant called Capsicum annum L.. Much like bell peppers (commonly substituted for quick fixes), Capsicum Annum is a pepper that comes in 8 different varieties that all have their own unique flavor profile;

Special quality (Különleges) – this is the mildest of all and has the most vibrant red color
Delicate (csípősmentes csemege)-mild with rich flavor,
Exquisite delicate (csemege) –slightly more pungent than the Delicate,
Pungent Exquisite delicate (csípős csemege), even more pungent
Noble sweet (édesnemes) – the most common type, slightly pungent with bright red color,
Half-sweet (félédes) – a medium-pungent
Rose (rózsa) – light red color, mildly pungent
Hot (erős) – the hottest of all paprikas, light brown-orange color

What are you actually getting in the store?

Most commonly we receive 2 generic forms of these varieties, hot or sweet. This used to be controlled during the milling process where producers would regulate the number of seeds that are milled into the powder mixture. The more seeds there were, the hotter the Paprika would be, and vise versus. Nowadays though, due to the different varieties, farmers can just mill a certain variety to get their desired flavor profile. This means the grinding of stem, skin, and seeds whole without the need for separation.

Simple substitutes for Paprika could be any pepper that has been dried and ground, even pimentos would work. Just be careful what peppers you choose as some might have a bigger kick than you intend for them to have.

Basic cooking with Paprika.

Paprika is a relatively generic spice and can be added to almost any dish with no negative effect. It imparts richness, body, and color to any dishes it’s used in. Most notable dishes that are braised, stewed or roasted since it allows for the Paprika to develop in the dish without burning. Smoked Paprika varients can also add a slightly smokey flavor to a dish that is otherwise pleasant but can be overdone easily.

Helpful Tip:

When using Paprika in high heat application cooking, add towards the end to avoid burning. Due to Paprika’s high sugar content, it’s easy to burn when exposed to high heat when little to no water present.

The weeks to follow will mostly follow my research journey toward a CRC certification, meaning the post will have topics covered in reference material for the test up until I have completed all the topics listed. I look forward to embarking on this journey and I hope you learn as much as I will from this experience.

If you learned something new like me remember to share that knowledge with others cause knowledge in power.

The Secrets of Paprika