# Sweet Paprika?



## lorina3 (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi all! I was making a dry rub the other day and it specifically called for sweet paprika. And I was curious...is sweet paprika different from other kinds of paprika? Thanks!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

There's sweet paprika, which is not hot, and hot paprika.

Then there's smoked paprika, which is also really good, and which can also be sweet or hot.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

If you're shopping and find paprika which isn't marked hot or smoked, it's sweet paprika. 

BDL


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Actually, paprika is available in a range of heats, depending on the specific pepper or peppers used. An Hungarian housewife is likely to have a whole shelf of them.

Just because a pepper-based powder isn't hot doesn't make it sweet. In fact, that's true with a lot of things. Sweet and hot are not opposites. And so it is with paprika. Unless otherwise marked, in American markets, it will be Spanish paprika, which doesn't fit either category. Hungarian sweet paprika is a whole nuther animal. Once you taste it you'll never confuse it with any other kind.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

Hungarian and smoked are my favorites - won't bother with any others usually. Depends on the dish,  Smoked only came onto my top ten list a few years ago, once i found it in the local "spicery" (not sure on the proper term for that). Yum!  for things like sausages, stews, braises etc.  Hungarian I tend to use as part of a dry rub, love the stuff.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

KYHeirloomer said:


> Just because a pepper-based powder isn't hot doesn't make it sweet. In fact, that's true with a lot of things. Sweet and hot are not opposites.


I believe they are - in this case. You often see resellers classify their paprika from sweet to mild to hot. Maybe the confusion (sweet as in not-hot, not sweet as in sugary) comes from the French word "doux", which is used to describe things that are not spicy, but which can also be used to indicate things that are sweet (in the sugary sense).
[*]
_In Hungary during the 19th century, two brothers named Palfy began experimenting with various combinations of peppers and recipes. They discovered that by removing the stalks and seeds from the pepper pods they were using removed the capsaicin, or heat, from the paprika and created a sweet paprika. The Palfy brothers than introduced their new concoction to a French chef who began using it in his cooking. Sweet paprika has a larger market than the hot varieties._

_Source: _http://www.ehow.com/about_5109883_definition-sweet-paprika.html


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

There is a store in Yorkville(Germantown 86th street ) New York that all they sold was Paprika, at least 100 different kinds Hungarian , Polish, etc


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

My hungarian friend brought me back about 4 kinds of paprika and they are all different in taste. So there are many kinds of hungarian paprika.  unfortunately the packages were all written in hungarian, though i have the names on the jars.


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## quetex (Oct 3, 2010)

Hmm , gonna have to look harder, never seen "hot " paprika around here. I personally dont taste alot of difference between the paprikas we find here other than the smoked one. Some are dark dark red and others and orange red, brands I guess.


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## quetex (Oct 3, 2010)

same with Chili powders, why the dramatic color differences?


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Two things contribute to the colors, Quetex: The variety of pepper used (plus, in the case of commercial chili powders, the percentage of other ingredients), and time.

All powdered, dried peppers darken over time, particularly if they're exposed to light, heat, and air.

With paprika, the bright, orange-red usually indicates a sweeter paprika. Hot and non-sweet paprika with be darker. And smoked the darkest of all.

But remember, these are trend lines, not absolutes, and it's quite possible to have a bright, orangy-red paprika that's hotter'n blazes.

BTW, what we call chili powder would just be another paprika in Hungry.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_(sweet as in not-hot, not sweet as in sugary)_

But that actually _is _what we're talking about. Well, not exactly sugary. But sweet paprika is made from peppers with a high brix number, such as the Hungartian Boldogi Spice pepper. When you dry and grind them, you get a sweet (sweet to the taste) paprika. On the other hand, if you were to grow the so-called heatless jalapenos, and dry and grind them, you'd get a powder that is neither sweet nor hot.

Contributing to the confusion is nomanclature. What we call chili powder would merely be a paprika in Hungary. So, when I grind the Ancho peppers I grew this year, we would call the result a mild chili powder. But Hungarians would call it a mild paprika.

On top of all this is the question of smoking. Any paprika can be smoked. In theory that adds an additional flavor level. Personally, I think smoked paprika is a trendy thing that contributes nowhere near the change in flavor the celebrity chefs who tout it would have us believe. But what do I know?


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

I frequently use smoked paprika. I always use "pimentón de la Vera" from Spain. The brand is very wellknown; La Chinata, comes in small red metal square tins.

You have to use it very sparingly or the whole plate will taste like... chorizo. In fact, the main spice in chorizo is smoked paprika.

La Chinata has a website too; www.lachinata.com


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I use it too, Chris, both commercial versions and ones I make myself.  Just not with the wild abandon of the TV personalities.

F'rinstance, I might use it when making a venison paprikas. But for a chicken parprikas I'll use more of a Spanish style, or even a sweet one.

Just as an aside, for those who don't know, there are two versions of chorizo. Chris is talking about the cured, dry sausage, from Spain, not the raw stuff from Mexico.


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

We can get both kinds of chorizo from our deli, but they both get eaten "raw". I know one is meant to be cooked. However, we all love the soft chewyness of it and cant resist picking at it. Is it not cured enough to be not exactly raw?

I too play safe with La Chinata. It makes a chilli amazing by adding a big spoon of both the sweet and hot. Delia smith advocated the brand on her UK tv programme back in the 90's and the shops suddenly couldnt keep up with demand. ..Same with everything she endorses.

I guess that goes for every celeb chef...Pay me enough and i'll have ur product flying off the shelves.

Anyway...

Sweet paprika is my favourite.

Use a pan u can use on the hob and in the oven

Take 1lb brisket. Seal really well in hot oil

remove the meat and add onions and garlic. Brown

reduce a glass of red wine put the beef back

Add a tin of cherry tomatoes (or bog standard)

Add 1 cup of reduced beef stock, 1 heaped tblspn sweet paprika, 1 tsp sugar, a big pinch of dried oregano and a couple of bay leaves. S&P

Stick the lid on and put in a gentle oven for 4 hours

When its falling apart, break it up with a couple of forks.

Put the pan back on the hob reduce the gravy.

use in place of the usual fajita filling with crisp lettuce, red onion and creme fraiche

This is my own recipe, but im aware it's probarbly an established dish..Thats par for the course. When are we ever as innovative as we think we are/img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif

Ps. It's messy, 'cos there's still a bt of sauce, so plenty of napkins


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

KYHeirloomer said:


> Just as an aside, for those who don't know, there are two versions of chorizo. Chris is talking about the cured, dry sausage, from Spain, not the raw stuff from Mexico.


 Just as an aside beside the side...

Within Spanish chorizo there are different types. One is a group that will stand up to cooking while the others are meant for slicing or just serving.

dan


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

bughut said:


> We can get both kinds of chorizo from our deli, but they both get eaten "raw". I know one is meant to be cooked. However, we all love the soft chewyness of it and cant resist picking at it. Is it not cured enough to be not exactly raw?


KYH said a raw one and a cured one. The one you call "raw" is actually cured and meant to be eaten like that (I assume, if you're tlaking about soft chewyness). The really raw one, and not cured or anything, you wouldn't like "like that". It's not really even a sausage, the casing is just an excuse to keep everything together, the instant you cut it all its contents will spread in your skillet, and Mexicans typically cook it with eggs. It's really good cooked, but I don't think anyone would ever eat that stuff raw.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

bughut said:


> We can get both kinds of chorizo from our deli, but they both get eaten "raw". I know one is meant to be cooked. However, we all love the soft chewyness of it and cant resist picking at it. Is it not cured enough to be not exactly raw?


 It depends bughut. If you're talking about eating a Spanish cooking chorizo, like th type used for paella, then you're fine to eat it "uncooked" in a dish. If you're talking about eating a Spanish slicing chorizo, like the type you may find on a charcuterie platter, you'll be fine. If it's one of the different shapes, sizes or spice blends that fall within the other two types of Spanish chorizo you're fine. If it's what we, in America, call Mexican chorizo...uncooked, yuk! You should be cooking it first.

what types are you talking about?

dan


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## gobblygook (Aug 26, 2010)

I think it's time for us to have a pantry-raid at KY's place.  I'm sure he can fit a hundred or so of us at his table and we'll pass around the spices .


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

But who's gonna do the dishes?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

KYHeirloomer said:


> But who's gonna do the dishes?


I don't mind doing the dishes. Who's bringing paper plates and plastic cups? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_Who's bringing paper plates and plastic cups? _

Not in my house, French Fries.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

Bughut, you posted the recipe of a nice "*goulash*", *the most wellknown plate from Hungarian origin*. Hungary is undisputedly paprika-country numero uno with many varieties and recipes containing paprika.

On the chorizo (the spanish one); there are indeed 2 types; the dried one (charcuterie) to eat as is, containing a lot of smoked paprika. Mostly available in a hot or a mild variety. And there's the cook-chorizo, a much softer example, well, obviously to cook with, also containing an overdose smoked paprika. You can eat it also raw, it is processed is some way, don't know exactly how. The soft one is very hard to find in my region. Therefor, I use (and many others) the dried one in cooking as well... delicious! A nice *jambalaya with spanish chorizo *is very yummie.

Some recipes use a nice orange-red "chorizo-oil" as some kind of a seasoning. It's simply slowly panfrying some chorizo in oil and using only the oil.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

KYHeirloomer said:


> _Who's bringing paper plates and plastic cups? _
> 
> Not in my house, French Fries.


Somehow I had a feeling you were going to say that. And, were I not the one promising to do the dishes, I'd agree with you. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

KYHeirloomer said:


> _Who's bringing paper plates and plastic cups? _
> 
> Not in my house, French Fries.


Ok, then how about plastic plates and foam cups? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


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## lorina3 (Apr 27, 2010)

Oh my! It's been a little while since I first asked my question (the holiday season was a busy one this year) but thank you for all the great info! I had no idea there were so many variations of paprika. Now what I have to do is a taste test! I'm thinking maybe I'll keep it basic and make a bunch of deviled eggs with the different paprikas sprinkled on top.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Lorina, that's hardly a test. Paprika used that way is more for visual impact than taste.

To really compare them make a dish that highlights the paprika. A paprikas, for instance. Here's a basic approach:

2-3 pounds of protein, cut in 1" cubes (i.e., chicken, beef, game)

5 tbls oil

5 tbls paprika

1 large onion, cut in rings

1/2 cup red wine

Salt & pepper to taste

Sour cream

Dill weed (optional)

Heat the oil. Add the paprika and cook for a minute or so. Add the onions and saute until slightly sofented. Add the meat and cook until browned. Add the wine, salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover, and cook until protein is tender. Add enough sour cream to form a sauce the consistency you prefer. Sprinkle with a little dill if you like.

With this recipe you'll really taste the paprika, and can decide which of them you most prefer. But keep in mind that various dishes might work better for you with different paprikas.


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## cedisa (Oct 23, 2013)

Where may I pruchase this yummy sweet Hungarian Paprika in Los Angeles, CA?  I live in Torrance.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

A timely resurrection. On sunday I used the last packet of this that I had:





  








paprika.jpg




__
teamfat


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Oct 25, 2013








And it is pretty unlikely my wife's folk dance group will be going back to Hungary soon, so I'm going to be looking at domestic sources.

mjb.


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

Pride of Szeged is an imported brand that isn't too hard to find and when the tin is fresh, it's pretty tasty.


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## verytasty (Oct 25, 2013)

I think it's not by chance that there are 8 types of paprika. Each of them has its own peculiarities. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## cedisa (Oct 23, 2013)

What kinds of dishes would sweet paprika be great for?  I use them mainly for hungarian goulash, spaghetti sauce, beef stews, and sometimes in other soups I prepare.  But then again, I LOVE cayenne pepper and it goes in most of my dishes too!


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

My mother's family was Hungarian so I grew up thinking there was something wrong with food that wasn't heavily dusted with deep red paprika. Anything white or pale got the treatment--any dish with melty cheese, sour cream or eggs, roasted potatoes, potato salad...it was all good.


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## keencook55 (May 6, 2012)

KYHeirloomer said:


> Two things contribute to the colors, Quetex: The variety of pepper used (plus, in the case of commercial chili powders, the percentage of other ingredients), and time.
> 
> All powdered, dried peppers darken over time, particularly if they're exposed to light, heat, and air.
> 
> ...


Paprika in Hungary is produced in many districts, this is why there are different tasting paprikas. Some districts claim theirs is the best, refuted by others of course. Generally, those from the southern "flat" lands are the highest quality. Some commercal producers in order to save costs mixed genuine Hungarian paprika with imported varieties, leading to prohibition of the practice.

In fact, the lighter, orange colour paprika is the hot. The seeds, which are white, and the pith is ground into the whole, thus lightening the colour. Pure hot paprika is very very hot indeed and needs to be handled with care.

Paprika releases its full flavour in lard, not oil, butter or water, so if you want the best result, add it only to warm lard, stir it in, and quickly stop the cooking by adding a small amount of water before it burns, which it does easily.


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## keencook55 (May 6, 2012)

Try it in Paprika Chicken, Pork stews, Cabbage Rolls. Look up www.grocceni.com and click on the English version for a large recipe database, you will find many there.


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## andybbq (Jan 12, 2014)

Paprika is available in a million and one varieties I think.  I live in Canada and had been buying Hungarian parika from Highland Farms but recently when preparing my turkey rub sometime around 2am I realized that I had no paprika !!  Took a chance went to Rabas 24hour and picked up a package of paprika, it is the best paprika I have found to date, deep red, sweet and smooth.  I cannot remember the brand but it is the only paprika they sell.  As for anyone outside of Toronto, I can recommend highly Spice Island Paprika as having really good colour and a lovely taste.  The only way to compare paprikas really is to buy it, open the pack, moisten one´s finger and taste it.  It should taste sweet, many are little more than redish sawdust.  All the best


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