what's the difference between paprika and sweet paprika?

[CTyankee]

I see the sweet paprika in many recipes that I never remember seeing before...

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. sweet indicates made from peppers with low capsacin levels (so sweet being opposite of hot)

We make our own paprika from dehydrated sweet bell peppers (it is incredibly easy and good!) - but if you mix in peppers of varying degrees of heat you can custom-adjust the paprika.

then there is smoked paprika - but that is a different story of course! (I guess smoked can be either sweet or hot!)

[CTyankee]

3. I also see hot paprika in recipes but I don't see it in my supermarket...

[opiate69]

2. It mostly comes down to which part of the pepper is used...

Nowadays, paprika can range from mild to hot, and flavors also vary from country to country, but almost all the plants grown produce the sweet variety. [5] The sweet paprika is mostly pericarp with more than half of the seeds removed, whereas hot paprika contains some seeds, placentas, calyxes, and stalks. [3][/div ]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika

[Warpy]

4. Most of the stuff in grocery stores is sweet paprika

but if you can find Szeged, it's got a little more of a bite. it's all wimpy compared to the dried and ground red peppers we can get here in NM that range from ouch to holy shit.

I usually mix the wimpy paprika with ground chile to get something with a little more bite when I'm doing things like chicken paprikash, where you want it assertive but not particularly hot.

I do Spanish rice with paprika, not tomato. It's quite a different experience that way and remarkably good.

[Major Nikon]

5. There are many different varieties

My favorite is a Hungarian smoked paprika.

[CTyankee]

6. Thanks. I'll have to look for it.

[bitchkitty]

8. Good luck.

I had to order it online.

[CTyankee]

10. I was actually looking for sweet smoked paprika (I referenced the recipe again)!

Then I was a bit confused. But I found exactly that at Whole Foods! Now it is dawning on me that their is sweet smoked and hot smoked.

It is called Pimenton de la Vera and made in Barcelona, Spain. The brand name is Safinter.

[bitchkitty]

11. hmmm...

Wonder if they have it at the Spanish grocery?

[CTyankee]

12. worth a try, I'd guess.

[eridani]

9. Goulash isn't goulash unless you use Hungarian paprika

--smoked or otherwise. IMHO

[PADemD]

7. Sweet Paprika

I used sweet paprika in a recipe that called for Hungarian paprika.