Exploring Paprika: How to Use the "New World" Spice

• Introduction (Is It In Your Spice Rack?)
• History (This Isn't Your Typical "Spice" Story)
• Explanation of the Varieties (Is All Paprika Hungarian?)
• Recipes in This Article
• • Paprika chicken with rice
  • Paprika chicken casserole
  • Smokey tomato and lentil soup
  • Carb Diva's goulash soup
  • Pork with paprika, mushrooms, and sour cream
  • Carb Diva's earthy mushroom stew
  • Romesco sauce

When you hear the word "paprika" what do you think of? A rich and satisfying bowl of Hungarian goulash? Maybe zesty chicken paprikash? Perhaps paprika is nothing more than that red garnish atop a plate of deviled eggs or the potluck potato salad. Or maybe, you don’t think of (or use) paprika at all.

What a pity.

Paprika is more than just a pretty face, and it’s not a one-dimensional flavor. The taste of it can range from sweet to smoky to earthy and spicy. A member of the pepper family (Capsicum annuum), paprika is dried and ground into a powder from not one, but a wide variety of pepper plants, thus the broad range of flavor profiles.

Black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, mace—these spices had a long and somewhat tragic history. They grew and were discovered in the Far East, in isolated tropical areas. Exotic, rare, and costly, they were valued more than gold. Battles were waged over them, blood was spilled for them.

And then there is paprika. It originated in the west, not the east. The native peoples of Mexico, Central America, and the Antilles used it for cooking and they recognized its healing properties.

It was Christopher Columbus who “discovered” paprika. How ironic; Columbus was in search of a new route to the Spice Islands of the East; he failed in that endeavor, but made new discoveries that he then transported from West to East—corn, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, chocolate, squash, and peppers . . . including paprika.

Columbus misnamed them pimiento, Spanish for the hot spice gleaned from peppercorns. For some time they were used as an ornamental rather than for culinary purposes. In time they were transported from the Iberian Peninsula to Africa and Asia. But how did paprika become “the spice” of Hungary? If you look at a map you will see that Hungary is land-locked, so would not have been a port-of-call for Spanish traders. One might say that paprika entered Hungary through the back door.

As the Roman Empire was slowly imploding, the Ottoman Empire was gaining control of much of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The control by the Ottomans also meant control of the trade routes.

Sweet paprika; Hungarian paprika; smoked, mild, and hot paprika. It's all so confusing. They are not all the same. I'll explain:

“Regular” Paprika

Most of what is sold in grocery stores simply as “paprika” is more decorative than functional. There’s no heat (pepperiness) nor is there any discernable sweetness. Save this one for garnishing. If you want to cook with paprika, keep reading.

Hungarian Paprika

Is this the national spice of Hungary? Perhaps. Just as New Englanders grade their maple syrup by color and intensity of flavor, Hungarian paprikas vary as well. They are not a ‘one-size-fits’all’ sort of spice. There are actually eight grades of Hungarian paprika:

• különleges (mild and the most vibrant red)
• csípősmentes csemege (delicate and mild)
• csemege paprika (similar to the previous but more pungent)
• csípős csemege (even more pungent)
• édesnemes (slightly pungent and bright red)
• félédes (semi-sweet with medium pungency)
• rózsa (mildly pungent and pale red)
• erős (hottest and light brown to orange)

Most of what is sold in the U.S. as Hungarian paprika is the édesnemes variety.

Spanish smoked paprika, or pimentón

All other paprikas are slowly dried in the sun. However, Spanish paprika is dried over a fire, imparting it with rich smoky flavor and a deeper mahogany color. Right now this is my absolute favorite type of paprika. My daughter is a vegetarian and won't eat bacon, so smoked paprika gives us that smoky-sweet flavor without sacrificing a pig.

And that brings me to why we're really here (and why, I assume you are reading). Bring on the recipes.

• Paprika chicken with rice
• Paprika chicken casserole
• Smokey tomato and lentil soup
• Carb Diva's goulash soup
• Pork with paprika, mushrooms, and sour cream
• Carb Diva's earthy mushroom stew
• Romesco sauce

This recipe is almost ridiculous. How can something so simple be so tasty? Less is more. Quality over quantity. Occam's Razor.

With just diced chicken breast, salt, pepper, lemon juice and (the magic ingredient) paprika, FamilyFoodOnTheTable produces a wonderful main dish for your family. Couscous, white or brown rice, or zucchini "noodles" would be a great accompaniment. Fresh veggies or a side salad and you have a healthy meal in less than half an hour.

I found the blog FeedingAndy through Pinterest, and glad that I did. Peggy creates wonderful dishes using ingredients I find quite often in my own rotation (seafood, chicken, soups, and pasta). Her paprika-chicken casserole is full of flavor, egg noodles (yum!) and a silky sauce redolent with paprika.

Nick, the creator of this satisfying, smoky lentil soup, introduces himself as "frugal food enthusiast and curator of FrugalFeeding, a food blog about eating good, well-sourced food as economically as possible. Cheap isn’t a word we use here.

Nick lives in Bristol, England and so the measurements in his recipe are given in grams. I present the recipe below with notations so show cups and ounces for my American friends.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g (about 2 ounces) pancetta, diced(optional)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (sweet)
• 200g (1 cup) brown lentils
• 1 litre (33.8 ounces or 4 1/4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
• 400g tin (14.5-ounce can) of peeled plum tomatoes
• a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• a twist of black pepper
• a handful of fresh spinach, shredded

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the diced pancetta and cook until golden brown and crispy. Tip in the onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add the garlic, quickly followed by the paprika and lentils. Top up with the chicken stock and tomatoes.
3. Stir, cover with the lid, reduce the temperature to low and simmer until the lentils are cooked. Be careful not to let them stick.
4. Once the lentils are tender, season the soup generously and add the handful of chopped parsley. Serve immediately with a little shredded spinach. It’s delicious with Irish soda bread.

This recipe has been in my recipe box forever. No, it's not vegetarian. Beef is cut into cubes and combined with lots of onions, shredded potatoes, and beef broth. The shredded potatoes melt into the both, thickening it without the use of cream or cornstarch. When the beef is tender, stir in diced potatoes and uncooked noodles and let them simmer until cooked to perfection.

This rich stew of braised cubes of pork and mushrooms is cloaked with a creamy savory sauce of Hungarian paprika and sour cream. I love to serve it over mashed potatoes or noodles, but for a carb-less option riced cauliflower would be good too.

My recipe for earthy mushroom stew is an adaptation of a recipe that was originally published in the October 2006 issue of Sunset Magazine. Smoked paprika and tomato paste work together to provide a rich umami (meaty) flavor to this vegetarian dish.

I was recently introduced to romesco sauce. I just stumbled upon the name while I was surfing the net (probably Pinterest). It looked good (the photo), the ingredients sounded interesting, and I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I gave it a whirl. Literally. I used a food processor. And I found that (1) romesco sauce tastes amazing and (2) but I was saddened to recognize all of the many years, yea decades, I had lived without it.

Romesco sauce goes with so many things. I love it as a dip for chips, veggies, whatever. Smear it on cooked chicken. Serve it alongside cooked shrimp. Spread it on crostini. I might even give up dessert for an extra portion of romesco. Trust me, it's that good!