Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from '' Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh. In some languages, but not English, the word ''paprika'' also refers to the plant and the fruit from which the spice is made, as well as to peppers in the Grossum group (e.g.

bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...

s). All capsicum varieties are descended from wild ancestors in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, in particular Central Mexico, where they have been cultivated for centuries. The peppers were subsequently introduced to the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

, when peppers were brought to Spain in the 16th century. The seasoning is used to add color and flavor to many types of dishes in diverse cuisines. The trade in paprika expanded from the Iberian Peninsula to Africa and Asia and ultimately reached Central Europe through the Balkans, which was then under Ottoman rule. This helps explain the Hungarian origin of the English term. In Spanish, paprika has been known as ''pimentón'' since the 16th century, when it became a typical ingredient in the cuisine of western Extremadura. Despite its presence in Central Europe since the beginning of Ottoman conquests, it did not become popular in Hungary until the late 19th century. Paprika can range from mild to hot – the flavor also varies from country to country – but almost all plants grown produce the sweet variety. Sweet paprika is mostly composed of the pericarp, with more than half of the seeds removed, whereas hot paprika contains some seeds, stalks, ovules, and calyces. The red, orange or yellow color of paprika is due to its content of

carotenoid Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic compound, organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and Fungus, fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpki ...

History and etymology

1902-11-17,_La_Ilustración_Artística,_Abriendo_el_pimiento,_Medina_Vera

Peppers, the raw material in paprika production, originated from

, where they grow in the wild in Central Mexico and have for centuries been cultivated by the peoples of Mexico. The peppers were later introduced to the

, to Spain in the 16th century, as part of the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the New World (the Americas) in ...

. The plant used to make the Hungarian version of the spice was grown in 1569 by the Turks at

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

(now part of Budapest, the capital of Hungary). Central European paprika was

hot Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a wine tasting descriptor Places * Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand **Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...

until the 1920s, when a Szeged breeder found a plant that produced sweet fruit, which he grafted onto other plants. The first recorded use of the word ''paprika'' in English is from 1896, although an earlier reference to

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

paprika was published in 1831. The word derives from the Hungarian word ''paprika'', which in turn came from the Latin '' piper'' or modern Greek ''piperi'', ultimately from Sanskrit ''pippalī''. ''Paprika'' and similar words, including ''peperke'', ''piperke'', and ''paparka'', are used in various languages for

Production and varieties

Paprika is produced in various places including Argentina, Mexico, Hungary, Serbia, Spain, the Netherlands, China, and some regions of the United States.

Hungarian

Hungary is a major source of paprika, and it is the spice most closely associated with Hungary. The spice was first used in

Hungarian cuisine Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products. ...

in the early 19th century. It is available in different grades: * Noble sweet (''Édesnemes'') – slightly pungent (the most commonly exported paprika; bright red) * Special quality (''különleges'') – the mildest (very sweet with a deep bright red color) * Delicate (''csípősmentes csemege'') – a mild paprika with a rich flavor (color from light to dark red) * Exquisite delicate (''csemegepaprika'') – similar to ''delicate'', but more pungent * Pungent exquisite delicate (''csípős csemege, pikáns'') – an even ''more'' pungent version of ''delicate'' * Rose (''rózsa'') – with a strong aroma and mild pungency (pale red) * Semi-sweet (''félédes'') – a blend of mild and pungent paprikas; medium pungency * Strong (''erős'') – the hottest paprika (light brown)

Spanish (''pimentón'')

There are three versions of Spanish paprika (''pimentón'') – mild (''pimentón dulce''), mildly spicy (''pimentón agridulce'') and spicy (''pimentón picante''). The most common Spanish paprika, ''Pimentón de la Vera'', has a distinct smoky flavor and aroma, as it is dried by

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...

, typically using oak wood. Currently, according to the Denomination of Origin Regulation Council (Consejo Regulador de la DOP "Pimentón de La Vera"), the crop of La Vera paprika covers around 1,500 hectares and has an annual production of 4,500,000 kg, certified as Denomination of Origin. ''Pimentón de Murcia'' is an unsmoked variety made with bola/ñora peppers and traditionally dried in the sun or in kilns.

Usage

Culinary

Paprika is used as an ingredient in numerous dishes throughout the world. It is principally used to season and color rice,

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...

s, and soups, such as goulash, and in the preparation of sausages such as Spanish chorizo, mixed with meats and other spices. In the United States, paprika is frequently sprinkled raw on foods as a garnish, but the flavor contained within the oleoresin is more effectively brought out by heating it in oil. Hungarian national dishes incorporating paprika include ''gulyas'' (goulash), a meat stew, and '' paprikash'' (paprika gravy: a Hungarian recipe combining meat or chicken, broth, paprika, and sour cream). In Moroccan cuisine, paprika (''tahmira'') is usually augmented by the addition of a small amount of olive oil blended into it. Many dishes call for paprika (''colorau'') in

Portuguese cuisine The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others. ''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...

for taste and color.

Carotenoids

The red, orange, or yellow color of paprika powder derives from its mix of

s. Yellow-orange paprika colors derive primarily from

α-carotene α-Carotene is a form of carotene with a β-ionone ring at one end and an α-ionone ring at the opposite end. It is the second most common form of carotene. Human physiology In American and Chinese adults, the mean concentration of serum α-caro ...

and β-carotene (

provitamin A A provitamin is a substance that may be converted within the body to a vitamin. The term previtamin is a synonym. The term "provitamin" is used when it is desirable to label a substance with little or no vitamin activity, but which can be converted ...

compounds), zeaxanthin, lutein and β-cryptoxanthin, whereas red colors derive from capsanthin and

capsorubin Capsorubin is a natural red dye of the xanthophyll class. As a food coloring, it has the E number E160c(ii). Capsorubin is a carotenoid found in red bell pepper (''Capsicum annuum'') and a component of paprika oleoresin Paprika oleoresin (also ...

. One study found high concentrations of zeaxanthin in orange paprika. The same study found that orange paprika contains much more lutein than red or yellow paprika.

Nutrition

In a typical serving size of one half teaspoon (2 grams), paprika supplies 6

calorie The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...

s, is 10% water, and provides 21% of the Daily Value of vitamin A. It provides no other significant amounts of

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

Gallery

File:Paprika.fruits.three.j.jpg, The various shapes and colors of the peppers used to prepare paprika File:Paprika pepper farmer in Tanzania (5761933485).jpg, Paprika pepper farmer in Tanzania File:Cachi 02.jpg, Red peppers in

Cachi, Argentina Cachi is a small city in Salta Province Argentina. It is the capital of the Cachi Department. Etymology Although it is often stated that the name is derived from Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups ...

are air-dried before being processed into powder. File:Dried paprika sale.jpg, Packaged ground and whole dried paprika for sale at a marketplace in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Serbia File:Pimenton-ahumado-candeleda.jpg,

Smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and ''lapsang souchong'' tea are often smoked. In Europe, alder is the tradi ...

paprika, called ''pimentón'' in Spanish

References

External links

* {{Authority control Chili peppers Medicinal plants Hungarian cuisine Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine Bulgarian cuisine Macedonian cuisine Moroccan cuisine Portuguese cuisine Serbian cuisine Spanish cuisine Smoked food Turkish cuisine Powders Romani cuisine ms:Pokok Cili sq:Speci