The paprika or the blessing
A type of spice prepared by grinding dried pepper fruits (such as green pepper or hot pepper). In some European countries, the word paprika is used for green pepper. Spices are used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to food. Paprika may range from being sweet (mild, not spicy) to spicy (hot). Flavors may also vary from one country to another.
It is one of the types of seasoning that is made from the crushed and dried fruits of the annual pepper, either of the type of bell pepper or hot pepper, or a mixture of both. This spice is used in many kitchens to add color and flavor to dishes, but it is usually mentioned in Hungary, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Morocco, as well as Spain and Portugal. The use of this plant expanded rapidly from Iberia across Africa and Asia and recently reached the heart of Europe through the Ottoman-ruled Balkans, which explains the Slavic origin of this modern English term. In Spain, paprika has been known as paprika since the early 16th century, when it had become a typical ingredient in western Amancha cuisine. Although Spain has been in the heart of Europe since the beginning of the Ottoman conquest, it did not spread to Hungary until a hundred years ago.
It was a mixture of hot spices until the 1920s, when a farmer from Szeged found a plant that produced sweet fruits. This species feeds on other plants. Nowadays, paprika varies between cold and hot, and flavors vary from one country to another, but all kinds of cultivated plants produce sweet fruits. The sweet paprika is mostly found in the pericarp of the fruit, where more than half of it does not contain seeds, while the spicy paprika contains some seeds, a placenta, hemp and peduncles.
The origin and history of the word
The cultural history of pepper is surrounded by many problems and contradictions. The only clear established fact is that it was a physician on Columbus' expedition who brought the first pepper seeds to Europe from Mesoamerica. However, some types of pepper were originally found in the Indian subcontinent, and some researchers believe that Hungarian and Asian species are included among them. The first types of pepper that arrived in Hungary during the seventeenth century are known to us, as it is assumed that the Turks who occupied the country at this time brought it with them. And they cultivated it in their yards under strict protection, and if any Hungarian thought of growing pepper for personal use, he was exposed to his neck.
And the Hungarian plant appeared from this type of spice since 1529 by the Turks in Buda (now part of Budapest, the capital of Hungary). The first mention of the word "paprika" in English was in 1896. This word is derived from the Hungarian word "paprika", which is a diminutive of the Croatian word papar (meaning "pepper"), which is also derived from the Latin word "piper" or the modern Greek word According to other sources, this Hungarian word is derived from "peperke", "piperke" and "paparka" which are words used in many Slavic languages in the Balkans and mean bell pepper.
As for the two Spanish types of paprika known as "Pimento" sweet pepper, one of them came from Comera de la Vera, located in the Cáceres region, and the other from the region of Murcia, and it was introduced there in the early sixteenth century by local monks from the America in which they were born.
The word "paprika" entered many languages, often through German. Similar words are used in many European languages, while examples of other languages are found in Hebrew, where there is the word paprika [פפריקה], and Japanese, where there is the word papurika [パプリカ]. There is a popular etymology that contradicts the linguistic evidence, which is that the word was named after the blessing of Rish, one of the Indian religious figures.
uses
A farmer cultivates paprika in TanzanPaprika is produced in a number of countries, including Hungary, Serbia, Spain and California. included in the formation of a wide variety of dishes around the world. Hot paprika is mainly used for seasoning and coloring rice, stews and soups such as goulash, and in preparing sausage as an ingredient that is mixed with meat and other spices. In the United States, paprika is often sprinkled on food to season it, but the flavor is only really revealed when it is slightly heated in oil.
Spanish paprika (Paimentón) comes in three forms: cold (Paimentón dulce), mild (Paimentón agridoles), and very hot (Paimentón piquinte.) Some Spanish paprika, including Paimentón de la Vera, have a distinctive smoky flavor and aroma when smoke-dried, usually with wood. oaks.
Hungary is one of the main sources of paprika production, which is why it is used more there than in other places. There are varieties of them as follows:
The higher quality (Különleges) are the coldest, and are very sweet with a bright red colour.
delicious (csípősmentes csemege); Its color varies from dark red to light red, and it is characterized by being cool and with a high flavour.
excellent savory (Csemegepaprika); It's similar to savory, but more savory.
The excellent savory savory (Csípős Csemege, Pikáns), which is even more savory than its predecessor.
Pink (Rózsa), a pale red color with an aromatic fragrance and a cold spicyness.
lavish sweet (Édesnemes); The most popular variety for export, it is bright red and has a mild pungency.
medium sweetness (Félédes); A mixture of sweet and sour bell peppers, medium pungent.
atheism; It is light brown in color and is the hottest type of paprika.
The Netherlands is one of the main sources in the production and distribution of paprika, especially the types grown in greenhouses.
In Moroccan cuisine, paprika (Thamira) is softened by adding a small amount of olive oil and mixing it with it.
Paprika may also be used in henna to dye hair red when dyeing it. Paprika powder may be added to henna when it is prepared at home.
nutrition
The red pepper used to make paprika is exceptionally rich in vitamin C. This was discovered in 1932 by Hungarian Albert Nagyrabolt, who won the Nobel Prize in 1937. Much of the percentage of vitamin C remains in paprika, which we find contains a greater percentage of vitamin C than that found in lemon juice when weighed.
The high temperature causes the pepper to lose its vitamins, so dried peppers for commercial purposes are usually not as useful as sun-dried peppers.
Paprika is also rich in other antioxidant substances, as it contains approximately 10% of the percentage found in acai berries. However, there must be a balance between the prevalence of nutrients and the quantities consumed, which is usually negligible for spices.