Paprika
Paprika is made from dried, ground sweet or mild red peppers (Capsicum annuum), delivering a fruity, mild warmth and vivid red color rather than significant heat. Hungary and Spain both have deep culinary traditions built around paprika, though they differ in style — Hungarian paprika ranges from sweet to hot, while Spanish paprika (pimentón) is often smoked over oak.
Growing Paprika Peppers
Paprika peppers are grown just like sweet bell peppers, started indoors well before the last frost and transplanted once the weather warms. Left on the plant to fully ripen to deep red before harvesting, the peppers are then dried — traditionally strung and air-dried, though a dehydrator works just as well at home — and ground into powder once completely dry and brittle.
Culinary Uses
Sweet paprika adds color and a mild, fruity warmth to goulash, deviled eggs, and countless spice rubs without significant heat. Smoked paprika brings an entirely different, deep smoky character that can stand in for actual smoking or grilling flavor in a dish cooked indoors.
Paprika burns easily in a hot, dry pan and turns bitter — bloom it briefly in warm oil or add it toward the end of cooking rather than at the very start.
