Aaaah… paprika!
Paprika is produced by grinding the dried deep red paprika pods of the pepper plant. Not all paprika is created equal. The best paprika in the world is Hungarian Paprika. Most Hungarian paprika is produced in Szeged or in Kalocsa. My grandmother preferred “Szegedi Paprika”, but then she was born and raised in Szeged. Depending on what part of Hungary your ancestors came from, you might be convinced that Szegedi or Kalocsai paprika is better. Frankly I cannot see a difference. What really matters is the grade. So look for words like "csemege" or "különleges".
In Hungary you can find 8 brands of Hungarian paprika in varying colour and pungency:
KÜLÖNLEGES (Special quality) - this is the mildest has the most vibrant red colour.
CSÍPŐSMENTES CSEMEGE (Delicate) – is a mild paprika with rich flavour.
CSEMEGE (Exquisite delicate) – is slightly more pungent than the Delicate.
CSÍPŐS CSEMEGE DELICATE (Pungent Exquisite) is even more pungent.
ÉDESNEMES (Noble sweet) – is the most common type, slightly pungent with bright red colour.
FÉLÉDES (Half-sweet) – is a medium-pungent paprika.
RÓZSA (Rose) – is light red in colour and mildly pungent.
ERŐS (Hot) – is the hottest and has light brown-orange colour.
But all of this is irrelevant for us here in North America. What we can get here is sweet or hot. And we are lucky to have ANY grade as long as it was produced in Hungary. If it’s not imported, it’s not Hungarian, even if the label says so. If it doesn’t say “product of Hungary” forget it. If it was packed somewhere in North America, who knows what was put in it? At best it will be a mix with some Hungarian paprika in it, but more than likely you are getting a glorified version of Spanish paprika and all that is good for is a bit of color on top of your potato salad. Don’t bother with supermarkets or Amazon. They don’t have the real stuff either.
Once a friend brought me a bag of “Hungarian Paprika” from the largest spice store in Vancouver. I took one look at it, I didn’t even have to sniff it, I knew it wasn’t the real stuff. It lacked the intense color and aroma of Hungarian paprika.
Find a small specialty store, preferably in a larger center, that handles a variety of Hungarian imports. Or do as I have done, order it on-line. Wrap it really well and put it in the freezer. It should last for a couple of years. Otherwise the shelf life of paprika is only six months. It won’t go bad, but the aroma and the color will start to loose intensity. Those small tins of Hungarian paprika that sit on the shelf at the deli passed their prime some time ago.
I have been asked where I get my paprika. I used to order it in bulk from a Hungarian deli in California. The quality of their last shipment was... well questionable. So that source is gone. In a pinch there is a small Asian store that used to sell hot Hungarian paprika. The paprika was definitely Hungarian. Not first class, but far better than Spanish paprika. It was hot though. I would say medium hot. But the last time I went in they only had 1 pound packages of “Hungarian Style Paprika” I wasn't happy with the color, but I needed it and brought a package home. It didn't smell like Hungarian paprika, and the flavor... I don’t even know how to describe it… ground up bricks must taste like that. Then finally after a month 4 small packages of real Hungarian paprika arrived from Germany. I opened one and I lost myself in the paprika aroma. We are saved for now... But with supply chains continually changing, ordering paprika remains a challenge.
If this helps, this is what it looks like
