Test kitchen secrets
Our cookery assistant Helena Busiakiewicz shares what she’s learned about paprika
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
Paprika is simply inely ground dried peppers. The type of pepper and how it’s processed de ines the spice, whether hot, smoky or sweet.
PIMENTÓN OR SMOKED
Spanish for paprika, pimentón is available in specialist shops. Often, the peppers have been smoked over oak ires, so use it when you need to emulate the taste of wood- ired cooking. It can be hot or sweet.
SWEET
In the supermarket, a jar labelled simply ‘paprika’ is most likely sweet paprika. This adds colour and a warm hum of fruitiness to a dish.
HUNGARIAN
A less-common variety in the UK, but well-worth seeking out. Hungary actually has eight dierent grades of paprika. For an authentic goulash, seek out ‘különleges’, the highest quality in the scale.
& For this issue, Helena has tested paprika in this month’s cover recipe, piri-piri pork ribs (p24), as well as summer veg tostadas (p38) and smoky new potatoes (p90).