About ten years ago, long before it became popular, my sister sent me some Spanish paprika as a birthday gift (I was fortunate in my siblings). Because in the La Vera region of Spain peppers ripen in the rainy season they can't be dried under the sun as they traditionally are in Hungary (and other areas of Spain), and so they're dried in a smoke house. This difference in preservation makes an extraordinary difference in flavor. (Larger image.)
Spanish paprika (pimenton) tastes like smoke. In fact, it's an addictive smoke - a culinary nicotine. If you follow food trends you already know how popular it's become, but if you haven't tried it, you must.
It comes in three styles: sweet, hot and bittersweet. They're all good but I use the hot powder about twice as fast as the sweet, which I use about twice as fast as the bittersweet. I've found it in specialty kitchen stores such as William-Sonoma and high-end groceries, but I usually order it from a company named La Tienda.
I like to sprinkle it on almost any fish or chicken breasts and broil them. Extraordinarily good! Instead of sprinkling a touch of Hungarian paprika on deviled eggs for looks, I use Spanish paprika specifically for more flavor. And add some to mayonnaise along with some roasted garlic for an amazing aioli. It's also an essential ingredient in paella.
