Paprika

Paprika (in the original alphabet ˈpɒprikɒ ) is a spice which, containing traces of capsicin and good amounts of fructose, is distinguished by its delicate, sweetish and vaguely spicy (sometimes bitter) flavor; both the sweetness and the spiciness of the paprika vary depending on the raw material used, or on the basis of the variety of the fruit (or any mixture) and the manipulations performed on it.

However, the favorite type of pepper in paprika production is Capsicum anuum .

The paprika is a SPICE, as is the chili powder, but the two products are significantly different. As we will see below, it is quite common for paprika to be confused or used as a synonym for chilli pepper; this small misunderstanding comes from the etymology of the Hungarian word for chili pepper: paprika (with the "K"); in reality, in Italian, the term PAPRICA (with the "C") indicates the NOT spicy spice obtained from the same pepper that, if finely ground, acquires the name of PEPPER IN CHOPPER.

Production

The paprika is obtained by pulverizing the fruit produced by some plants of the genus Solanaceae : the Capsicum, more commonly known as chili pepper. This botanical variety, today evenly distributed over the entire earth's surface with a climate that is not very rigid (but cultivated and subject to seasonality even in the less temperate territories), originates from the central-South American continent, from which it was first exported to the East, then to Middle East and finally in Europe.

The chili pepper from which paprika is made can be the fruit of numerous species, all different in characteristics of: shape, color, sweetness and spiciness; in the east of Europe, with the term paprika it is possible to indicate both the spice and the vegetable itself, imported for the first time in the old continent by Hungarian traders through trade with Turkey (in turn supplied by India). Not surprisingly, as we will see below, the first to differentiate paprika from chilli powder were of Hungarian nationality.

To be more precise, paprika is the result of washing, cutting, trimming and drying one or more quality of Capsicum . What substantially differentiates the paprika from the chili powder (and possibly a sweet paprika from a strong one) is the phase of cleansing, or the moment in which the chili pepper is cut and deprived of the placenta with the annexed seeds (placenta: internal white membrane which contains very high amounts of capsicin, its function is to bind the seeds, equally rich in capsicin, to the sugary pulp of the fruit. distantly from the spice obtained by also grinding the seeds and the placenta.

Paprica: hints of history

The paprika was produced for the first time by the Phalli brothers in Szeged (Hungary), in the XIXth century AD, who pulverized the dried pulp of the pre-private pepper, both of the placenta and of its seeds; subsequently the Hungarian Hungarian chemist Albert Szent-György discovered that, besides being a very pleasant spice, the paprika could have contributed to significantly reduce the scourge of vitamin C deficiency in the seafaring population. In fact, chili pepper is one of the foods that contains the highest concentrations of ascorbic acid and, once dehydrated, this property "should" (since C is not among the most heat-resistant vitamins) increase exponentially.

In Hungary, the paprika is an extremely rooted product in the culinary tradition (classic example, the goulash); at the popular level, the collection of peppers takes on (or rather, assumed) an extremely important social role. As in southern Italy, in Hungary the peppers are hung in long garlands of thread but, here more than elsewhere, the moment of collection is lived in an extremely joyful manner; an entire day of festivities was even dedicated to him: September 8th.

In Hungary, paprika and chilli are traditional products that are so important that they are the subject of numerous popular stories. With regard to the discovery of Capsicum, it is said of a young mezzira who was forced to participate in the harem of a Turkish pasha, in the city of Buda; she, spying on the cultivations located in the vast parks of the mansion, acquired the fundamental notions for the cultivation of chilli and, on her return to Hungary, spread them and then allowed the discovery of paprika.

Paprika in the kitchen

In the kitchen, based on the organoleptic and gustatory characteristics of the dish, the choice of paprika is based on the sweet or strong type; paprika is associated with meat, some cheeses, cream, tomatoes, onion, and often becomes part (as an ingredient) of other more complex composite spices.