My Quest for Hungarian Paprika - Spice Jungle Recommendation

[STEbbq]

I take that back. They primarily sell olive oil and balsamic vinegar?!

[STEbbq]

Clark closest one is about 15 miles away which is a bit far for just a spice. We have two local spice stores downtown a few minutes away that I should check out though.

[John Henry]

Thanks STEbbq and also to ecowper and the kind and awesome fzxdoc. These recommendations are most helpful and am grateful to each of you! Buying spices (and good paprika) have been challenges, now solved thanks to you all.

[Clark]

@zero credit When we lived in Colorado, I used to buy spices at the Penzey's Spices store in Colorado Springs. They seemed to have everything so you might check them out.

[STEbbq]

Thanks Kathryn. fzxdoc

From our perspective, we've always had Hungarian paprika around, with the smoked, sweet, and hot varieties all taking turns, usually with the Szeged brand. We've valued the flavor, and of course, the rich color it adds. Admittedly, we've never tried the cheaper versions (at least in recent memory), but I understand you lose a lot of flavor and color.

The goal here was to do a bulk purchase of a favorite spice at a lower price per oz than what we'd typically pay with those small spice containers. You might have noticed that I've been gradually upgrading my components and BBQ tools over time as they either die (the original cheaper versions which I then upgrade), or I find the need for one given routine BBQ tasks. Today's task was paprika.

I did see the true Szeged link you posted, but at $66/pound, it was more than I wanted to invest. The Rancho Gordo link looks cool though, so I will save that link for future reference.

From our perspective, we've found the smoky paprika adds an additional layer of flavor and certainly has never detracted from any of the dishes we've used it in, including many BBQ rubs over the years that may have specified sweet. It's improved dishes that would be done in the oven and thus have no smoke, and for smoked meats, the smoky flavor may be a bit more lost with the actual smoke from the smoker being more prominent, but I tend to think it can only help.

I would have probably bought just the sweet paprika ( https://www.spicejungle.com/sweet-hungarian-paprika ), which SJ also carried, but since the smoked & sweet version was essentially the same price, I thought that was a bonus from my perspective.


I also realize this is very recipe specific and we don’t really make any traditional Hungarian dishes but more BBQ , American etc.

[CaptainMike]

Regarding that smoky vibe, I will do that with our smoked cayenne. Especially in tomato sauces and chili type dishes. We really jumped up the pepper plants this year and I'm trying my hand at several different hot sauces. Should be fun.

[fzxdoc]

I've used Szeged brand Hungarian Paprika for years and years, both the sweet and the hot varieties. I make chicken paprikash (upon request) nearly every time the kids come to visit, and still get rave reviews after all these years. I make it spicy with the Hungarian Hot Paprika. For BBQ rubs, I use the sweet variety.

I did notice the change in the Szeged brand back several years ago, but the quality did not seem to be compromised. In fact, I brought both sweet and hot paprika back from Hungary when we visited there about 4 years ago, and could not really appreciate a difference. Recently I bought the Szeged brand, and I opted for the true Hungarian paprika which they are now selling once more.

Were you looking specifically for smoked paprika, as opposed to the sweet or hot unsmoked varieties? If so, Rancho Gordo sells a delicious smoked paprika-- authentic Spanish pimenton which will knock your socks off. Here's the link for that: https://www.ranchogordo.com/collecti...anish-pimenton. I brought pimenton back from Spain the last time we were there, and this is as good or better than the real deal that I hauled back in my suitcase.

I don't use smoked paprika unless a recipe or application specifically calls for it. Usually I prefer to use the Sweet or the Hot Hungarian varieties unless I want a smoky vibe without using my smoker.

Kathryn

[CaptainMike]

Remind me in September 58limited.

[58limited]

That's cool. You should send me some

[RonB]

Thanks fer postin'.

[CaptainMike]

Interesting. We grow Spanish and Hungarian varieties to smoke, dry then grind. I haven't found a noticeable difference between ours and the ones I've tasted from Spain, but it would be fun to compare the Hungarian varieties. Thanks for the link and review.

[ecowper]

I buy my paprika an Chile powder both from Spice Jungle. I really like their quality, availability, and price.

[STEbbq]

I've run low on paprika, so I wanted to buy at least one pound to tide myself over for a while.

Amazon seems to only carry "Hungarian style" . I didn't notice the style at first, but that annoyed me once I noticed it, and clearly the reviews reflect it, as you can see folks indicating it is not very good.

https://www.amazon.com/McCormick-Cul...dp/B008OGCRSU/

https://www.amazon.com/Szeged-Sweet-...dp/B00WU1OCWO/

And, I just couldn't get comfortable with Happy Belly Amazon brand for $7.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Brand-...dp/B07QTK7YYQ/

Costco didn't carry it, Walmart didn't carry it, so I'm off to online.

The Spice House is ~$30/pound https://www.thespicehouse.com/produc...-sweet-paprika

Spice Inc not in stock https://www.spicesinc.com/p-27-hunga...t-paprika.aspx

Spiceology wants $64 a pound. https://spiceology.com/products/papr...ian-glass-jar/

I finally run across Spice Jungle, which is $18.75 a pound and smoked, with free shipping and they gave me a 5% coupon. It is clearly marked as sourced from Hungary, and its website actually provides useful information. Apparently, the cheaper paprika comes from Peru!

https://www.spicejungle.com/smoked-s...garian-paprika

Then, as I do, I wondered around the website and found some cool salts, which I promptly ordered.

This cool coffee-flavored salt:

https://www.spicejungle.com/espresso-brava-salt

and this hickory smoked one.

https://www.spicejungle.com/hickory-smoked-sea-salt

Anyway, shipping looks to be a bit delayed, but will share some pics when it arrives. I am also getting low on pepper, so will probably order some good peppercorns ( https://www.spicejungle.com/salt-pepper/peppercorns) in the near future.

Has anyone used a peppercorn blend ( https://www.spicejungle.com/five-peppercorn-melange ), or smoked peppercorns (https://www.spicejungle.com/smoked-black-peppercorns) in a rub?

I thought I'd flag Spice Jungle as a solid place for spices, given its informative website, and very competitive pricing.