Pimentón de la Vera DOP, Spanish oak-smoked paprika (La Vera, Cáceres)

Aromatic profile

Culinary use

• When to add : early in cooking, bloomed in warm oil off direct heat so the color releases without scorching
• Dosage : 1 teaspoon for a dish serving 4, or 1 tablespoon per kg of meat for a marinade
• Ideal pairings : homemade chorizo, Galician-style octopus (pulpo a la gallega), patatas bravas, smoky deviled eggs, BBQ rub for chicken and ribs, romesco and bean stews
• Avoid with : dishes already smoked (smoked salmon, scamorza), dry, screaming-hot pans (the sugars scorch and turn bitter in seconds), delicate sweet preparations

The grain in detail

Pimentón de la Vera is made in the La Vera valley of Extremadura, sheltered under the Sierra de Gredos, where the damp autumn climate made air-drying impossible from the start. So the peppers, picked ripe in September and October, are laid on wooden racks over a smoldering oak fire (Quercus pyrenaica or Q. ilex) and smoke-dried for ten to fifteen days at around 140°F (60°C). That oak smoke is the whole signature, and it is built into the pepper itself, which is why it tastes nothing like the bright, air-dried Hungarian paprika you may know. After smoking, the pods are cold-stone-milled, a slow grind that protects the essential oils and the deep brick-red color. The method has been protected by the DOP since 1991, and three grades are sold: dulce (sweet, the everyday workhorse, under about 0.5% capsaicin), agridulce (bittersweet), and picante (hot). This is the backbone of chorizo, pulpo a la gallega, patatas bravas, sobrasada and romesco. The catch is physical: the natural sugars in the pepper scorch fast over dry, high heat and turn acrid in seconds, so the move is to bloom it in warm oil off direct heat, or stir it into a stew, never dust it onto a ripping-hot dry pan. Read the label and look for the DOP seal, because a lot of supermarket "smoked paprika" is air-dried paprika sprayed with smoke flavoring, which is a different, flatter product. Burlap & Barrel sources its smoked pimentón from a single family fábrica in Extremadura; La Chinata, from the village of La Garganta la Olla, is the most widely stocked DOP brand stateside and the UK pick through Sous Chef.

History & origin

Chili peppers reached Spain with Columbus on his return from the second voyage in 1493 and were given to the Hieronymite monks of the Yuste monastery in Extremadura. The monks acclimatized them in the La Vera valley and, lacking the sun to air-dry the crop, invented oak-fire smoke-drying. The technique stayed a regional secret for two centuries before becoming the area's signature. The Pimentón de la Vera DOP gained provisional recognition in Spain in 1995 and was registered at EU level on 22 August 2007.

Indicative price

Reference format : 1.8 oz / 50 g tin — from $7.00 to $12.00 (median : $9.00).

Storage

Airtight tin, away from light. The brick-red color and the smoke hold for about 18 months; past that it oxidizes toward brown and the smoke fades. Buy a small tin and use it up.

Where to buy?

Alternatives if unavailable

• Piment d'Espelette AOP

Tags

• DOP
• Spain
• Extremadura
• smoked
• paprika
• Capsicum annuum

Frequently asked questions

How do you store Smoked Paprika de la Vera DOP?

Airtight tin, away from light. The brick-red color and the smoke hold for about 18 months; past that it oxidizes toward brown and the smoke fades. Buy a small tin and use it up.

What dosage for Smoked Paprika de la Vera DOP?

1 teaspoon for a dish serving 4, or 1 tablespoon per kg of meat for a marinade

When should you add Smoked Paprika de la Vera DOP in cooking?

It's best used early in cooking, bloomed in warm oil off direct heat so the color releases without scorching.

What should you avoid pairing Smoked Paprika de la Vera DOP with?

Avoid with: dishes already smoked (smoked salmon, scamorza), dry, screaming-hot pans (the sugars scorch and turn bitter in seconds), delicate sweet preparations.