Hungarian Paprika
Hungarian paprika is the national spice of Hungary, a graded ground red pepper from Szeged and Kalocsa. It is known for deep red color and sweet, fruity flavor.
Say it: hun-GAIR-ee-uhn pap-REE-kuh
By Andrew Cooks · Updated · 11 min read
At a glance
Hungarian paprika is the paprika of Hungary, where ground red pepper is the national spice and is grown, dried and graded with unusual care, above all in the regions of Szeged and Kalocsa. It is famous for a deep, vivid red color and a rich, sweet, fruity, faintly earthy flavor, and it comes in a traditional set of grades from the delicate különleges and noble-sweet édesnemes to the hot erős. Most exported Hungarian paprika is the mild, high-quality sweet paprika édesnemes, the type that gives goulash and chicken paprikash their color and soul. Read Hungarian paprika as the benchmark of the spice: a graded, prized ground red pepper at the heart of one of Europe's great paprika traditions.
What it does for you
Hungarian paprika brings color, sweetness and depth, and in its hot grades warmth, to a dish, and does so with a quality and intensity that has made it a benchmark. Its deep red color tints stews, sauces and rice a glowing scarlet, while its rich, sweet, fruity flavor gives body and character that cheaper paprika often lacks.
Cook's tip
Soften the onions in fat, take the pan off the heat, and stir in a generous amount of paprika before adding liquid right away. Its sugars scorch fast, and burnt paprika turns bitter and muddy.
Kitchen trivia
Did you know a Hungarian scientist won a Nobel Prize partly thanks to paprika, using the peppers of Szeged to isolate vitamin C?
See the answerKey facts
- Flavor
- Rich, deep, sweet and fruity with vivid color; mild in the noble-sweet grades, pungent in the hot erős grade
- Heat
- Depends on grade: the sweet grades are near 0 SHU, the hot erős grade roughly 500 to 2,000+ SHU
- Origin
- The peppers are native to the Americas; the Hungarian tradition centers on Szeged and Kalocsa
- Type
- Ground spice made from dried ripe red peppers, produced in Hungary
- Scientific name
- Capsicum annuum (family Solanaceae)
- Weight
- 1 tbsp weighs about 6.8 g
Common uses
Hungarian paprika is the defining spice of Hungarian cuisine, essential to goulash (gulyás), chicken and other paprikash, pörkölt, the pepper-and-tomato stew lecsó, fisherman's soup (halászlé), and paprika-spiced sausages. Beyond Hungary it is used worldwide as a premium paprika for color and rich flavor: in stews, braises, rice and potato dishes, dry rubs, dressings, deviled eggs and cheese spreads such as körözött. Cooks reach for the mild sweet paprika édesnemes grade for color and flavor and add the hot erős grade to bring warmth, often using the two together to control the heat.
Its vivid color also makes it a favorite decorative dusting. Because of its quality and depth, Hungarian paprika is often chosen where the paprika flavor itself is meant to shine, as in an authentic goulash, rather than where paprika is just a background coloring.
Use Hungarian paprika where paprika is meant to be the star, and use enough of it: authentic Hungarian dishes like goulash use paprika by the generous spoonful, not the pinch. Bloom it the Hungarian way: soften onions in fat, take the pan off the heat, stir in a good amount of paprika so it dissolves into the fat and colors it deep red, then immediately add your liquid. Doing this off the flame is essential, because Hungarian paprika's sugars scorch fast and burnt paprika turns bitter and muddy, wasting its prized color and flavor.
Choose the grade for the job: the mild sweet paprika édesnemes for color and rich flavor, the hot erős when you want warmth, or a mix of both to dial in the heat. Buy it fresh and vivid (the deep red color is the whole point) and keep it cool and dark, replacing it once the brilliant red fades to dull brown.
Measure and nutrition
Pick an amount to see what it weighs and its nutrition.
1 tbsp of Hungarian paprika weighs about 6.8 g (0.24 oz) and has about 19 calories.
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Weight | 6.8 g (0.24 oz) |
| Calories | 19 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.88 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.15 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 4.6 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 3.7 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Total sugars | 0.7 g |
| Protein | 0.96 g |
Nutrition and weights from USDA FoodData Central, Spices, paprika. Values are estimates.
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Save your recipes in Cooked.it, freeMore about Hungarian paprika
Hungarian paprika is paprika, ground dried ripe red peppers of Capsicum annuum, produced in Hungary, where it is the national spice and is grown and graded in a distinctive traditional system. Its heartlands are the towns of Szeged and Kalocsa, both associated with protected paprika production. Hungarian paprika is classed into grades that historically run roughly from the pale, delicate különleges and csemege through the widely exported noble-sweet édesnemes to the half-sweet félédes, the rose-colored rózsa and the hot, pungent erős, differing in color, fineness of grind and heat.
Most Hungarian paprika sold abroad is the mild sweet paprika édesnemes. It stands alongside Spanish pimentón (including pimentón de la Vera) as one of the two great paprika traditions, and is distinct from the hotter cayenne pepper and the blended chili powder.
Hungarian paprika is a fine powder in a characteristically deep, glowing red (often a richer, more intense scarlet or brick red than generic paprika) with the soft, slightly oily feel of good paprika and a warm, sweet, fruity aroma. Its exact color and pungency depend on the grade: the finest grades are bright, deeply colored and mild, while the hot erős grade bites on the tongue. It is traditionally sold in tins and, distinctively, in decorative cloth or paper bags and tubes as a Hungarian specialty and souvenir.
Good Hungarian paprika is prized precisely for the vividness of its color and the cleanness of its fruity flavor; like all paprika it fades with age to a duller tan and loses aroma, so freshness shows in the brilliance of the red.
In Hungarian cooking it is not a garnish but a foundation: dishes like goulash and paprikash are built on a generous quantity of paprika bloomed in fat with onions. Like all paprika its color and flavor are fat-soluble and released into warm oil, and its sugars scorch over high heat, so it is stirred into fat off the flame and then into liquid, never fried hard: burning Hungarian paprika ruins both its color and its prized flavor. The different grades let a cook choose mild color and flavor (sweet paprika édesnemes) or add heat (erős) to taste.
Forms and grades
Fine powder in graded types from delicate mild (különleges, csemege), noble-sweet (édesnemes) and half-sweet (félédes) to rose (rózsa) and hot (erős). Made from: ripe red fruit (pericarp), dried and milled to a fine powder; graded by color, grind and heat.
Storage and shelf life
Store cool, dark and airtight away from heat and steam; buy in small amounts and use while the red is vivid.
- Pantry
- Best within about 6 to 12 months; the prized color and aroma fade steadily after that.
- Fridge
- Airtight cold storage can slow fading; cupboard storage is usual.
- Freezer
- Freezing airtight preserves color for longer keeping; warm to room temperature before opening.
Substitutions
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| sweet paprika (generic) | 1:1 | Generic sweet paprika stands in for the mild édesnemes grade, with less depth of color and flavor |
| paprika (any) | 1:1 | Ordinary paprika gives color and flavor; Hungarian is prized for richer color and taste |
| Spanish sweet pimentón or pimentón de la Vera | 1:1 | Spanish paprika works for color; the smoked la Vera adds woodsmoke Hungarian paprika lacks |
Common mistakes
- A common mistake is treating Hungarian paprika as a mere garnish and using a timid pinch: in its home cooking it is a foundation ingredient used generously, and goulash made with a token amount of paprika will taste thin.
- The opposite error is burning it: Hungarian paprika's sugars scorch and turn bitter over high heat even faster than you might expect, so it must be bloomed in fat off the flame and then extended with liquid, never fried hard, or its prized color and flavor are lost.
- People also confuse the grades: the mild sweet paprika édesnemes and the hot erős look similar but behave very differently, so reaching for hot where you meant sweet can overspice a dish.
- Buying cheap, stale paprika and expecting Hungarian depth disappoints, since paprika fades quickly; the deep red color is a sign of freshness and quality.
- And, as with all paprika, expecting it to substitute directly for cayenne pepper or chili powder leads to trouble, as those are far hotter or a spiced blend.
Product picks
- Hungarian noble-sweet paprika (édesnemes)See it on Amazon: Hungarian noble-sweet paprika (édesnemes)
- Hungarian hot paprika (erős)See it on Amazon: Hungarian hot paprika (erős)
- A Hungarian paprika gift tin from Szeged or KalocsaSee it on Amazon: a Hungarian paprika gift tin from Szeged or Kalocsa
History
Paprika reached Hungary largely through the Ottoman Turks, who spread the New World pepper across the Balkans, and by the 18th and 19th centuries ground red pepper had taken deep root in Hungarian cooking, becoming the national spice and transforming dishes like gulyás from simple herdsmen's stews into the paprika-rich food now thought of as quintessentially Hungarian. Two regions became the great centers of cultivation and milling: Szeged and Kalocsa, both on the southern plain, where generations of growers refined the peppers and the elaborate grading of the spice. Hungarian paprika also has a place in scientific history: in the 1930s the Szeged-based scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi used the local peppers as a rich source to help isolate vitamin C, winning the 1937 Nobel Prize.
The mild, sweet édesnemes grade that dominates exports today was made possible by 20th-century Hungarian breeding of low-capsaicin peppers, taming a once-fiery spice into the gentle, colorful paprika now used the world over.
Is it still used today?
Hungarian paprika remains a celebrated spice and a point of national pride, produced around Szeged and Kalocsa and exported globally in its traditional tins and decorative bags. In Hungary it is indispensable, the foundation of the national cuisine's signature dishes; abroad it is sought out as a premium paprika prized for vivid color and rich flavor, and graded types (especially the noble-sweet sweet paprika édesnemes and the hot erős) are valued by keen cooks much as single-origin spices are. It sits alongside Spanish pimentón, including pimentón de la Vera, as one of the two benchmark paprika traditions of Europe.
As interest in authentic and single-origin ingredients grows, good Hungarian paprika is regarded as the standard against which everyday paprika is measured, and it continues to give goulash, paprikash and countless other dishes their unmistakable color and depth.
Questions people ask
What makes Hungarian paprika special?
Hungarian paprika is prized for the depth of its color and the richness of its flavor, and for a long tradition of careful cultivation and grading. In Hungary paprika is the national spice, grown especially around Szeged and Kalocsa and classed into a set of grades that let cooks choose exactly the color, fineness and heat they want. The best-known is the mild, noble-sweet édesnemes (sweet paprika), vivid red and richly flavored, which is what most exported Hungarian paprika is; the hot grade is called erős.
Because paprika is a foundation of Hungarian cooking rather than a garnish (dishes like goulash are built on a generous amount of it), the spice has been refined over generations to a benchmark quality. Many cooks regard good Hungarian paprika as the standard against which ordinary paprika is measured, especially where the paprika flavor itself is meant to shine.
What are the different grades of Hungarian paprika?
Hungarian paprika is traditionally sold in several grades that differ in color, fineness and heat. Running roughly from mildest and most delicate to hot, they include különleges (special, bright and delicate), csemege (delicate, mild), édesnemes (noble sweet, a sweet paprika, the most common and widely exported), félédes (half-sweet, with a touch of heat), rózsa (rose, mild and pale) and erős (strong, hot). The exact names and number vary by producer, but the key distinction for a cook is between the mild, sweet grades used for color and rich flavor and the hot erős grade used for warmth.
Most Hungarian paprika you buy abroad is édesnemes, the noble-sweet grade. Many Hungarian cooks keep both a sweet grade and the hot erős so they can build color and flavor with one and add heat with the other.
Is Hungarian paprika hot or sweet?
It can be either, depending on the grade, but the most common and most exported Hungarian paprika is the mild, noble-sweet sweet paprika édesnemes, which has paprika's rich color and sweet, fruity flavor with little or no heat. If you buy a tin simply labeled 'Hungarian paprika' or 'sweet Hungarian paprika', it is almost certainly this mild grade and you can use it generously without spicing a dish. For heat you want the hot grade, erős, which carries a real chili warmth.
Hungarian cooks often use the two together: the sweet grade for the bulk of the color and flavor, the hot erős to dial in as much heat as they like. So Hungarian paprika is prized above all for color and flavor, with heat available separately when you want it.
How is Hungarian paprika used in goulash?
In goulash (gulyás) and its relatives, Hungarian paprika is a foundation, not a finish. The classic method is to soften onions in fat or oil, take the pan off the heat, and stir in a generous quantity of paprika so it dissolves into the warm fat and colors it deep red, then immediately add liquid or the meat and liquid before the paprika can scorch. Taking the pan off the heat is essential, because paprika's sugars burn quickly over high heat and burnt paprika turns bitter and muddy, spoiling the dish.
Most of the paprika is the mild, noble-sweet sweet paprika édesnemes grade, which supplies both the signature red color and the rich flavor; some cooks add a little hot erős for warmth. The generous amount of good Hungarian paprika, bloomed carefully in fat, is exactly what gives an authentic goulash its color, depth and character.
Is Hungarian paprika better than Spanish paprika?
Neither is simply better: they are the two great paprika traditions and differ in character. Hungarian paprika is prized for a deep red color and a rich, sweet, fruity flavor, and comes in a detailed set of grades from mild to hot; it is the soul of Hungarian cooking. Spanish paprika, or pimentón, is famous especially for its smoked style, the oak-smoked pimentón de la Vera, which brings a distinctive woodsmoke depth that Hungarian paprika does not have, as well as unsmoked sweet and hot grades.
So for the classic sweet, fruity, vivid paprika of goulash and paprikash, Hungarian is the benchmark; for a smoky, barbecue character, Spanish smoked pimentón is the choice. Many cooks keep both. Rather than ranking them, it is more useful to match the paprika to the dish and the flavor you want.
Trivia answer
Paprika is so central to Hungary that it even played a part in a Nobel Prize. In the 1930s the Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi was working in the city of Szeged, one of the two great centers of Hungarian paprika, on a puzzling reducing substance he had isolated from adrenal glands and various plants, which he suspected was the elusive antiscorbutic vitamin: vitamin C. To prove it and to study it in quantity he needed a rich, cheap, plentiful source, and he found one right on his doorstep: the red paprika peppers of Szeged turned out to be packed with the vitamin. Using local paprika, Szent-Györgyi and his colleagues were able to isolate and characterize vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in substantial amounts, work that helped earn him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.
It is a striking illustration of how deeply paprika runs through Hungarian life: the same peppers that color the nation's goulash also helped unlock one of the fundamental discoveries of modern nutrition. The next time you stir a spoonful of vivid red Hungarian paprika into a stew, you are handling the very crop that a Nobel laureate reached for when he needed vitamin C by the kilogram.
Origin and background
- How it spread
Peppers reached Hungary via the Ottoman Turks and the Balkans; paprika became the Hungarian national spice by the 18th to 19th centuries.
- Where it's popular
Hungary above all (Szeged and Kalocsa); exported and prized worldwide as a premium paprika.
- Cuisines that use it
Hungarian cooking: goulash, paprikash, pörkölt, lecsó, halászlé, paprika sausages, and premium use worldwide.
How it's made
- How it's produced
Ripe red peppers are grown, dried, deseeded and destalked, and milled, then graded in a traditional system (különleges, csemege, édesnemes, félédes, rózsa, erős and others).
- From the same source
The same species and spice as Spanish pimentón and generic paprika; grades differ by pepper selection, grind and heat.
Growing and season
- Season
Peppers are harvested and dried in late summer and autumn on the Hungarian plain; the ground spice is available year-round.
- Growing zones
The peppers are a warm-season annual, grown roughly USDA zones 4 to 11; frost-tender.
- Climate
The warm, sunny summers of the southern Hungarian plain suit ripening peppers for deep-red paprika.
Possible allergens
Not a common allergen; the hot erős grade contains capsaicin and can irritate sensitive stomachs.
Diet notes
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free; the noble-sweet grades are mild, the erős grade adds heat.
Important: Allergen information is provided for general information only. We cannot guarantee it is complete or accurate, and ingredients and manufacturing practices vary by brand and change over time. Always read the label on the product you are using. If you have a food allergy or a medical condition, consult your health care provider.
Related
- Paprika
- Sweet paprika
- Hot paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Pimentón de la Vera
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Chili pepper
- Bell pepper
- Stew
- Paprika
Paprika is a ground red spice made from dried, ripe chili peppers of the species Capsicum annuum (the same species as the bell pepper and cayenne pepper), milled to a fine, brick-red to scarlet powder.
- Sweet paprika
Sweet paprika is the mild, everyday paprika: ground dried red Capsicum annuum peppers with little or no heat, prized for their warm, sweet, fruity flavor and glowing red color rather than for spice. 'Sweet' here means not hot, not sugary: it is made from low-capsaicin peppers, so you can add it generously without setting a dish alight.
- Hot paprika
Hot paprika is paprika with real chili warmth: ground dried red Capsicum annuum peppers that keep their capsaicin, so the powder carries a genuine spicy heat on top of paprika's warm, sweet, fruity red-pepper flavor and glowing color.
- Smoked paprika
Smoked paprika is paprika made from red chili peppers that are dried over smoldering oak before being ground, so the powder carries a deep, smoky, almost bacony flavor on top of paprika's warm, sweet red-pepper taste.
- Pimentón de la Vera
Pimentón de la Vera is the famous Spanish smoked paprika from the La Vera valley in Extremadura, western Spain, made from red chili peppers slowly dried over smoldering oak before grinding, a method that gives it a deep, distinctive woodsmoke flavor.
- Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is a thin, hot, red chili pepper, and, more familiarly, the fiery red powder ground from it that lives in almost every spice rack.
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