Pimentón de la Vera (DOP) — oak-smoked paprika from the Vera valley of Extremadura — is one of the most distinctive spice ingredients in European cooking. Its specific character (smoke from oak-smoking the dried peppers before grinding, combined with the specific capsicum varieties of the region) produces a flavour that cannot be replicated by unsmoked paprika or any other smoked spice.
- **The oak-smoking:** The peppers are dried over oak fires for 2 weeks — the oak's phenolic compounds (the same compounds responsible for oak barrel influence on wine) are absorbed into the pepper skin and flesh. - **Three varieties:** Dulce (sweet, no heat), agridulce (sweet-hot, medium heat), picante (hot). - **Applications:** Chorizo and other Spanish cured meats use pimentón as the primary colouring and flavouring agent. Patatas bravas, pulpo a la gallega (SP-10), and fish preparations. - **The fat carrier:** Pimentón's colour and fat-soluble compounds extract into olive oil when briefly heated — producing the brilliant red oil used in numerous Spanish preparations.
Spain: The Cookbook