A Spanish spice made from pimiento peppers that are slowly smoked over oak fires before being ground into powder. It imparts a deep, smoky flavor with mild to moderate heat and a distinctive brick-red color.
Paprika comes from Hungarian 'paprika,' derived from Serbian 'papar' meaning pepper, ultimately from Latin 'piper.' The smoking technique originated in Spain's La Vera region in the 16th century, where monks developed the process to preserve peppers through the damp autumn months.
Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera) has protected designation of origin status, and the traditional smoking process takes two weeks using only oak wood from specific regional forests. This creates over 70 different aromatic compounds that give it a complexity impossible to replicate artificially!
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