Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel Bomb here. For some people, their only experience with paprika is a half hearted sprinkle of bland, reddish powder on top of deviled eggs or potato salad. Others are familiar with it from classic Hungarian dishes like chicken peppercosh or gulash. But have you ever
wondered what paprika is and where it comes from? Paprika, which is a Hungarian word for pepper, comes from capsicum and um varieties of red peppers, related to bell peppers and chili peppers. They grow long and bright red, with flavors ranging from bitter to sweet to hot and fruity and vegetab flavors too. The peppers are harvested, dried, and ground into a fine powder that's paprika. In making smoked paprika, the peppers are dried over a wood fire, adding to
their flavor. Using paprika in cooking is prevalent throughout Central Europe, Spain, and Portugal, but it's wildly popular in Hungary, where it's known as the national spice. There's even a paprika museum there and it's not unusual to find some twenty varieties in grocery stores, ranging from bitter sweet, too very sweet, mild, too extra hot, and fine ground to course. There are eight different grades in all. But why is Hungry so
well known for paprika? Interestingly, paprika peppers weren't introduced to the region until after Christopher Columbus returned from the Americas. The peppers were native to Central America and made their way to Hungary through the Balkans. Over the years, the peppers took root in southern Hungary, where the region's cool
climate helped the peppers retain their natural sweetness. Because the plants were so abundant, the spice became inexpensive to produce, and unlike imported spices like black peppercorns, pretty much everyone could afford it. Spanish paprika, called pimenton, comes in three basic varieties sweet, butter, sweet, or hot, and they're so often smoked that the packing doesn't always mention it. It's a key ingredient in charizo and in dishes like paia
and romesco sauce. Just because paprika is the same rich color as chili powder doesn't mean you can use the seasons interchangeably, though in many cases the seasoning that's labeled chili powder is a blend of spices, including garlic powder, human black pepper, and various powdered chilies. The chili's heat or sweetness could be very different from the paprika called for by your recipe, So when a recipe calls for paprika,
it's best to use actual paprika. You want to buy your paprika from a place that has a good turnover in spices, Otherwise you don't know how long it's been sitting there. For the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke with Nancy Waldeck, chef, cookbook author and food educator. She said the red and red orange ground spices have a lot of natural oil in them. They will go bad quicker than other spices. It's best to keep paprika in a dark jar in a cool
place and not near the stove. Heat isn't good for it either. If it doesn't smell good and it's brown when you open it, it's dust. It's no longer paprika. The good thing about paprika is that's inexpensive and easy to replace, and just don't buy a ginormous package, and this is a case where buying smaller is better. Today's episode is based on the article Paprika is Way more Than just Deviled egg dust on how stuff works dot com,
written by Patty Resmussen. To learn more about Paprika, check out the episode we did on one of my other podcasts, Saver. So we published an episode about it called a Peppering of Paprika in March of nineteen. Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with howstuff works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.