If you’ve ever had Hungarian paprika, then you’ve probably already done this. If you haven’t, then get your hands on some and trade in your black pepper shakers. Hungarian paprika tastes good on everything except ice cream.

Paprika is made by grinding up the pods of capsicum pepper plants. The plant reached Hungary through the Turks back in the 16th century and the best stuff is grown in Szeged. There are two main types (hot and sweet) that are further broken down into 8 varieties. All Hungarian paprika is a beautiful bright red but the varieties differ depending on their pungency and heat. The red peppers are hung to dry and grounded into a fine powder. Sweet paprika is mostly pericarp with most seeds removed, whereas hot paprika contains some seeds, placentas, calyxes, and stalks.

Using it as a garnish gives minimal flavor, it’s better to cook with. If you want to enhance the paprika flavor even more, stir it into some oil before use. Hello, paprika parmesan fries with truffle oil! Unfortunately, the only dish I had in Budapest was chicken paprikash and it was purely the paprika that made this dish worthy. It reminded me of the chicken rice in Singapore only because of the combination of boiled chicken with a zing of spicy flavor. I think my supply above will last about a month.