Biography: Paprika is nothing more than dried and ground red pepper – or in other words, pepper powder. Type of pepper – spicy or sweet is the main factor contributing to its taste, and during processing it may even be smoked – which also adds to its depth and uniqueness. Its origin is identical to that of tomatoes and potatoes: the African continent, and like them, it was brought to Europe by Spanish adventurers and their followers.
Available forms: sweet, spicy, smoked sweet, smoked spicy.
Healthy? Of course. Contains a variety of compounds called carotenoids that become vitamin A in the body, critical for eyesight, and for many of the body’s other functions. Additionally, it is considered responsible for increasing the body’s “”Good”” cholesterol.
Appears in dishes such as: goulash, paprikash, stuffed cabbage, and many other dishes from the Hungary-Bulgaria area, whose residents embraced it deep into their hearts, and stomachs. The smoked version is especially popular in Spain in famous dishes such as rice paella, Chorizo – dried sausages, and patatas bravas (a beautiful name for crispy potatoes in paprika seasoning). In Maghreb, it seasons the spicy margez sausages and finds its way mainly into fish dishes: from morrocan fish sauce, to chermoula and sharmila seasonings (they aren’t the same), an in Tunis, like cumin, it is addd to a ton of garlic and tomato products to create hreimeh.
