Pierino, I believe that pimento de la Vera is all smoked--it is part of its DOC status. The peppers are slowly dried over a fire. Perhaps the intensity of the smokiness differs due to the time required by the drying process. And both paprika and pimenton come from Capiscum. I think even the species is the same--the difference is in the variety. Capiscum are from the New World. The Spanish brought them to Europe and they dispersed from there.
Another thing about paprika: unless you make a LOT of goulasch and paprikash, it s better to buy the smaller tins because paprika goes off flavor after a year or so. Those big tins can last for way too long.
"Paprika" covers a multitude of sins. How the term came to be applied to Spanish pimenton I don't know. Although I'm reasonably sure you can blame it on the English.
Strictly speaking, pimenton is a dried Spanish pepper powder. It is not necessarily smoked. In fact Pimenton de la Vera is a DOC product. It might be labled "dulce" (sweet), "agrodulce" (bittersweet), or "picante" (spicy). If the label say's "ahumado" that means it's been smoked. Hungarian paprika adds color to deviled eggs but it's not much good for anything else.
Personally, the smoked paprika I bought at Penzey's did not have any smoky quality to it; I was truly disappointed. I know Williams-Sonoma carries a good smoky variety.
Perhaps the paprika was mixed up--and you got the plain variety. I usually buy the smoked paprika at a shop in Munich, but just visited Barcelona and brought some from there. Both taste good.
It is smoked paprika--a common ingredient used in Spanish dishes. if you can't find it in a grocery, try Penzey's or another good spice shop--or Amazon.
10 Comments
Strictly speaking, pimenton is a dried Spanish pepper powder. It is not necessarily smoked. In fact Pimenton de la Vera is a DOC product. It might be labled "dulce" (sweet), "agrodulce" (bittersweet), or "picante" (spicy). If the label say's "ahumado" that means it's been smoked. Hungarian paprika adds color to deviled eggs but it's not much good for anything else.