History of Smoked Sweet Paprika

In most European languages, the word “paprika” is derived from the word “pepper,” contributing to the confusion people have about what it called pepper and what are other spices entirely. This includes but is not limited to chile peppers. To add even more chaos to the naming confusing, contemporary Spanish uses the masculine form “pimiento” for paprika and the feminine form “pimiento” for pepper. Paprika is sometimes called “sweet pepper,” and in some languages the word “pepper” is used interchangeably with the word “chile.” Needless to say, the history of paprika is a confusing story to tell.

Chile peppers have long been cultivated in the Americas, even before the Europeans made their first voyage into the New World. Where chile peppers originate is difficult to pinpoint, but plenty of chile historians are of the opinion that South America is a strong candidate. Most likely, they are from the region between what we call Southwestern Brazil and Northeastern Bolivia today. It is believed that these plants were first cultivated by the people of Central and South America around 7000 BCE.

In 1494 when Christopher Columbus returned from his second voyage to the New World, he presented paprika to the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The King and Queen found these chiles a bit too spicy for their tastes, but they passed them on to the monks at the Guadalupe monastery. In turn, these monks shared them with other monasteries throughout Spain and Portugal, but it wasn’t until the 17th century that pimentón, the milled powder from these chile peppers, became more common in Spanish cuisine.

While paprika is probably most popular in Hungry, Spain is generally considered paprika’s second heartland. Paprika grown in Hungary is usually sun dried while chiles prepared in the traditionally Spanish way are smoke dried carefully over the course of a few weeks over oak wood fires. In much of American cuisine, paprika has been minimized to the dust on top of deviled eggs. Luckily, this spice is experiencing a bit of much-deserved popularity thanks to foodie crowds.

Paprika Cultivation

The pepper seeds are usually planted in March and harvested in late summer and early fall. Paprika chiles thrive in mild climates where the rain is plentiful. The flavor and heat levels can vary a bit even from the same farm from year to year depending on the average temperature and the amount of rainfall during that particular growing season. Pimentón is harvested between mid September and early November, depending again on when they were planted, the temperatures in which they were grown, and the amount of rainfall the chiles experienced.

Next to their growing fields, most farmers have small smokehouses with concrete floors and wooden grids several feet above the ground to use in smoking the chiles. Once the paprika chiles are harvested, a fire from slow-burning oak planks is lit on the concrete floor and the peppers are laid out on the grid above the fire. The fire never produces flames, it only smolders, and the chiles are smoked for 10 - 15 days. The smoked dried peppers are removed from the smokehouse, stemmed and seeded and then milled by electrically powered stone wheels which must turn very slowly as heat from friction adversely affects the signature color and flavor of the smoked sweet paprika. The end result is a beautifully finely milled paprika with a silky-smooth texture.

Where is it from?

Our Smoked Sweet Paprika comes from Spain.

What’s the Difference Between Hot and Sweet Paprika?

This is a common question people have about paprika. The main difference is usually that when making hot paprika, the innards of the chiles are left in so the paprika is slightly hotter. In sweet paprika, the innards of the chiles are cleaned out. Hot paprika is actually not much hotter than sweet, with the hot coming in at 500 to 1,000 on the Scoville Scale.

Cooking with Smoked Sweet Paprika

The smoky quality of this ground chile will pull you in and even just a pinch or two adds a captivating smoky aroma and flavor to nearly any dish you can imagine. Smoked Paprika is customarily used in making Spanish sausage such as chorizo. It’s used in Andalusian cuisine and added to berza ,which is a thick black bean soup, fish dishes, ham hocks, red pepper almond sauce called “romesco,” and a black sausage dish called “morcilla.” This is a key spice in sofritos, a base used in many Spanish recipes.

In the United States, many competition barbecuers use Smoked Sweet Paprika as a secret ingredient in their pork rubs. It’s a good ingredient to use with beans, in beef and lamb stews, in casseroles, and with chicken. Paprika tastes lovely on meat loaf, vegetables, rice, homemade sauces, soups, salad dressings, and egg dishes. Add it to honey to create a meat glaze that will pair well with strongly flavored meats like beef. Paprika also plays well with potatoes, tomatoes, and other nightshade family members.

When used with other spices, Smoked Sweet Paprika works well in combination with allspice, caraway, cardamom, garlic, ginger, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, saffron, thyme and turmeric.

Some of our favorite recipes using Smoked Sweet Paprika are Vegetable Jalfrezi, Vegetarian Roasted Spanish Potatoes, Spiced Almonds, Patatas Bravas,Spanish Garlic Mushrooms, Tortilla Espanola, Artichokes al Ajillo and Lean Ground Beef Chili.

What Does Smoked Sweet Paprika Taste Like?

Smoked Sweet Paprika is rich in chile flavor and has a complexity and depth thanks to its smoky undertones.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Smoked Sweet Paprika is a unique ingredient. That vibrant pop of color and that smoky flavor are sure to leave a deep impression on your customers. This is a popular ingredient with olive oil shops, bakeries, and specialty shops alike. Some of our customers are bakers who use this vibrant red spice as a natural food coloring or just an ingredient for flavor in their savory baking. Smoked sweet paprika is an excellent ingredient for rolls or even in some cake recipes! It helps enhance the flavor of rich German chocolate cakes.

As a bulk product, this paprika is a star. It has both savory and sweet applications and it is an extremely versatile ingredient. You would benefit from buying bigger quantities of this if you run a Spanish or Hungarian restaurant. It’s a popular ingredient in those cuisines and our paprika is high quality with a distinct scent and color. Purchasing bulk product is a time saver, since you will have more time to dedicate to cooking and less time to worry about your paprika running out!

Substitutions and Conversions

The type of paprika you cook with does in fact have an influence on how your dish will taste. If you have a recipe calling specifically for a hot paprika, don’t try to substitute this paprika in for it. Your best bet when trying to substitute a smoked sweet paprika is to substitute it for another smoked sweet paprika. La Vera Smoked Sweet Paprika is an excellent replacement for this paprika.

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