Smoked paprika, or pimentón de la Vera, is Spanish Capsicum annuum pepper dried slowly over oak smoke and ground, giving a deep red powder with a rich smoky flavour, sweet, bittersweet or hot.
What it is¶
Smoked paprika is Spanish pimentón made from red Capsicum annuum peppers dried slowly over smouldering oak rather than in the sun. The best known, and the standard in Spain, is Pimentón de la Vera, from the La Vera valley in northern Extremadura, which holds EU Protected Designation of Origin status. It comes in three grades:
- Dulce (sweet): no heat, pure sweet smokiness; the most versatile.
- Agridulce (bittersweet): mild warmth with a slight bitter edge.
- Picante (hot): moderately hot, made with more pungent varieties.
The peppers used in La Vera are local varieties from the Ocales group (Jaranda, Jariza and Jeromín) and the round Bola. Not all Spanish pimentón is smoked: Pimentón de Murcia, the other Spanish PDO, is sun-dried and unsmoked.
Origins and history¶
Tradition holds that Columbus presented chillies to Ferdinand and Isabella at the monastery of Guadalupe in Extremadura after his return from the Americas, and that Hieronymite monks there and at the monastery of Yuste in La Vera spread their cultivation in the sixteenth century. The story is widely repeated, and the region certainly adopted peppers early, though the details are hard to document.
La Vera's damp autumn climate made sun-drying difficult, so farmers dried their peppers in smokehouses (secaderos) over oak fires. The method gave pimentón its distinctive flavour, and it became essential to Spanish charcuterie, above all chorizo, whose red colour and much of whose flavour come from pimentón. Outside Spain, smoked paprika was little known until the late twentieth century, when it became fashionable with British and American cooks.
Flavour and aroma¶
Pimentón de la Vera tastes intensely smoky, like a wood fire, over the sweet, fruity flavour of red pepper. Dulce is round and sweet; agridulce slightly bitter and deeper; picante adds warm heat. It is powerful: a teaspoon perfumes a whole dish.
In the kitchen¶
- Chorizo and sobrasada: pimentón is the defining spice of Spanish chorizo; Mallorcan sobrasada uses it heavily too.
- Patatas bravas: the spicy sauce or aioli on fried potatoes often uses pimentón picante.
- Pulpo a la gallega: boiled octopus with olive oil, sea salt and pimentón (in Galicia, sweet or hot).
- Stews: chickpea and spinach stew, Extremaduran caldereta, lentils with chorizo, fabada.
- Beyond Spain: in barbecue rubs, baked beans, roast chicken, hummus, devilled eggs and with roast potatoes or cauliflower. A good vegetarian stand-in for bacon's smokiness.
💡 Fry it briefly
Like all paprika, pimentón burns quickly. Add it to the pan after onions and garlic have softened, stir for 10–20 seconds, then add tomatoes, stock or wine. As a guide, 1–2 tsp flavours a stew for four.
Buying and storing¶
Pimentón de la Vera is traditionally sold in small metal tins that protect it from light. Look for the DOP seal. Keep airtight and away from heat and light, and use within about a year of opening; the smoke fades more slowly than the colour, but both do fade. Store it apart from plain paprika to avoid confusing the two.
Substitutes¶
- Chipotle powder: smoky but much hotter; use a quarter to half as much.
- Sweet paprika with a very small amount of liquid smoke or a pinch of chipotle.
- Urfa biber: smoky-tasting, though not smoked, and warmer.
- For picante, dulce plus a pinch of cayenne.
Pairs well with¶
Garlic, olive oil, onion, tomato, chickpeas, potatoes, pork, chorizo, octopus, chicken, eggs, cumin, bay leaf, saffron, oregano and sherry vinegar.
Growing your own¶
Pimentón varieties are C. annuum peppers grown like other chillies: sow indoors in February–March at 20–25°C, plant out after frost or grow under cover. To make your own smoked paprika, let the pods ripen fully red, then dry them slowly in a smoker or barbecue at a low temperature (under 60°C) over oak chips for many hours, or over several days, until brittle. Grind finely, removing stems and seeds for a sweet version. See growing chillies.