Paprika. You know, that red stuff you keep buried in your spice cabinet?
You might break it out a couple of times a year to sprinkle over some deviled eggs or brighten up a barbecue rub.
Sure, it can look pretty, but that’s about all it’s good for, right? Wrong. There is a whole world of paprika out there, with flavours ranging from sweet to hot to smokey.
Made from dried, ground red peppers from the species capsicum annuum, paprika enlivens your favourite dishes with fruity notes and a toasty red colour without ever taking over the show. It lends a mild, sweet flavour without overpowering the other condiments in your eggs.
Try it in any chicken, pork, or beef stew. Paprika is a mellow ingredient, bringing beautiful colour and a hint of sweetness.
You will find it in everything from barbecue sauce, prepared rubs, and marinades to Italian sausage, potato casseroles, cream sauces, and egg dishes.
Most people even love it sprinkled on mac and cheese. But before reading the above, did you know how it is made? If the answer is ‘no’, you are not alone. People have since been taking to Twitter to express their surprise at paprika’s origins.
The conversation was started by @simsimmaaz who tweeted: “Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere.”
Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere
— Make Oxtail Cheap Again (@simsimmaaz) January 23, 2023
Many others followed, expressing their shock.
One user wrote: “I also thought there was a curry tree and that allspice was a combination of spices.”
A second user wrote: “I’m flabbergasted at this discovery. This whole time I thought I was using some exotic spice to give my food some colour.”
“Wait what?” said another user.
According to My Spicer, red paprika originated in Southern Mexico, Central America, and the Antilles Islands. The food site reports that it was used for seasoning of food as well as medicine for healing.
“Paprika was not used in the west until sometime during the mid-1900s.
“The zoo sometimes includes paprika in the food of flamingos in order to help them keep their pink colour! Today, Hungary, Spain, South America, the Mediterranean, India, and California are all major producers of paprika. Paprika does not come from one specific plant. It is made from a variety of ground and dried chile peppers. The taste, heat, and flavour of the paprika will vary depending on the peppers used,” they report.
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