If we want to understand the past of Hungarian cuisine and the present that follows from it, it is worth beginning with the ingredient that has perhaps left the deepest mark on it. Ground paprika is not merely a spice: it lives in our language, our moods, and our kitchen instincts as well. One need only think of expressions such as “don’t get all peppered up” or “the atmosphere is quite paprikás.” Few ingredients have become so naturally embedded in everyday Hungarian self-image.
Author: Akos Lokodi
Yet before the most important spice plant in Hungary, ground paprika, occupied the place rightfully its own that is, before it became a Hungarikum and an unquestionable part of the Hungarian spirit and our gastronomic identity, it had a long and adventurous journey behind it. Its homeland was the world of southern Mexico, Central America, and the West Indian islands, from where it gradually made its way to Europe and then to Hungary.
From the Americas to Hungarian Gardens
The plant was already recorded in the circle of Columbus: Michele de Cuneo wrote about it after the second voyage, and Diego Álvarez Chanca, one of Columbus’s companions and physicians, took seeds back to Spain. From there, the new plant quickly entered Iberian cuisines and, through trade, reached other parts of Europe as well. In Hungary, it was initially considered an exotic curiosity: in 1570 it was still blooming in Margit Széchy’s garden under the name “red Turkish pepper,” and in 1579 it also appeared in the circle of Boldizsár Batthyány, with the involvement of Clusius. The most important route of its spread into Hungary, however, was the Balkans, through Ottoman–South Slavic mediation. Its early names also point to this: “Turkish pepper,” “Tatar pepper,” and in some parts of Transylvania even the name “árdéj” preserves this intermediary story.
Its spread was slow. Its cultivation and even its appearance as a family name had already surfaced in the Sárköz region by the end of the seventeenth century, while the first written account of its peasant production and use came from József Csapó’s herbal book published in Debrecen in 1775. From the end of the eighteenth century onward, it gradually became a favored spice of Hungarian cuisine and brought about a significant change in taste: this is where the triumph of paprika-based dishes begins. At first, it became popular as a cheap substitute for pepper, which is clearly reflected in its dialect names: “red pepper,” “höveles,” “pepper,” “crimson pepper,” and “green pepper.” The etymology of the word paprika also leads back here: from the Greek-Latin root for pepper, through the South Slavic papar, and across various forms, the modern Hungarian word eventually solidified.
From Ornamental Plant to National Spice
At first, for nearly two centuries, paprika was primarily an ornamental plant; later it was also regarded as a medicinal herb, and at that time only its hot varieties were known. It became a culinary spice in a striking way in the early nineteenth century, in no small part because of the Napoleonic Continental Blockade: when black pepper became more expensive and harder to obtain, paprika proved to be a suitable substitute. Museum and ethnographic sources agree that from the mid-eighteenth century onward, paprika became the most popular spice in peasant kitchens, and from there rose to become a defining element of the national cuisine.
It was peasant practice on the Great Plain that recognized most precisely that the flavor and color compounds of ground paprika dissolve best when added to onions fried in lard. This is the so-called pörkölt base, still used today in preparing a significant share of Hungarian dishes, and one that fundamentally transformed the character of Hungarian cuisine. It is no exaggeration to say that paprika did not simply move into Hungarian cooking: it reorganized its flavors, colors, and techniques.
In 1936, the paprika trade of national importance became a state monopoly. By then, the country’s two great centers had already clearly emerged: the regions around Szeged and Kalocsa. From the early eighteenth century onward, the cultivation and processing of paprika became increasingly organized, and by the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it had grown into one of the most important agricultural and food-industry sectors of the southern Great Plain. The scholarly literature still regards this tradition as the foundation of Hungarian paprika culture.
Kalocsa and Its Region
Alongside Szeged, the other great Hungarian paprika-growing region is Kalocsa and its surroundings: Bátya, Fajsz, Fadd, Sükösd, Érsekcsanád, Bogyiszló, Szeremle, Decs, Öcsény, and many other settlements belong to this area. The cultivation of Kalocsa paprika also dates back to the early eighteenth century, but for a long time it remained within the framework of cottage industry and only grew to a true industrial scale from the 1920s onward. Earlier, the more advanced cultivation and processing practices of Szeged served as a model for it in many respects; around the turn of the century, Szeged also purchased significant quantities of paprika from villages around Kalocsa.
Kalocsa ground paprika is today officially recognized as a Hungarikum. The first paprika mill in Kalocsa was built in 1861, and by 1900 three mills powered by stone grinding pairs were already operating in the region. By the end of the nineteenth century, steam engines drove the paprika mills; in the twentieth century, diesel and electric motors appeared, while Danube watermills also continued to play an important role for a long time. Kalocsa paprika powder is a deep-red, velvety spice with a pleasantly spicy aroma, slightly caramelized and reminiscent of roasted seeds, while its taste is sweetish and fruity.
Szeged, the Commercial Capital of Paprika
The cultivation of Szeged paprika began to develop spectacularly in the early nineteenth century. According to tradition, paprika was first cultivated in the Szeged area by the Franciscans of Lower Town, and from there it spread throughout the surrounding farmsteads. The Tisza valley proved especially suitable for the plant: the high number of sunny hours, favorable soil conditions, local experience in cultivation, and a spirit of experimentation together shaped the color, taste, and aroma of Szeged paprika. By the end of the nineteenth century, paprika (crushed, broken, ground, and whole) had become Szeged’s leading commercial product.
Until the 1940s, Hungarian paprika was naturally hot. To produce sweet and semi-sweet powder, the pungent parts had to be removed from the raw material: this was the process known as paprika splitting. Between the two world wars, more than ten thousand people worked in this trade, and around twenty paprika mills operated in the region, each employing at least 15 to 20 workers. At least ten thousand producers cultivated paprika, while traders worked to ensure that Szeged paprika reached distant markets. At the time, the Szeged paprika industry was a source of employment on a scale unmatched by almost any other industry in the city.
More Than a Spice
Ground red paprika is therefore not only a fundamental spice of Hungarian cuisine, but also one of the defining elements of Hungarian culture and identity. Its economic, cultural, and gastronomic significance remains outstanding to this day. Both the scholarly literature and institutional heritage protection show that paprika is at once an agricultural-historical product, a national symbol, a heritage element, and a flavor-building ingredient. It is not only part of our past, but one of the liveliest and most distinctive ingredients of our future as well.
For that reason, when buying ground paprika, it is worth reading both the ingredients and the indication of origin. Because of high demand, limited cultivation area, and quality differences linked to provenance, paprika is a particularly sensitive product from the standpoint of origin certification and potential food fraud; the latest food-control research also emphasizes that authentication of geographical origin remains an important issue today. In the case of products protected by designation of origin or registered as Hungarikums, origin and product description are more strictly defined.
Cover photo credit: Akos Lokodi
Akos Lokodi is a Hungarian chef with 24 years of professional experience, whose culinary identity has been shaped by the traditions of Debrecen, Budapest, and Pécs, as well as by the gastronomic heritage of the Great Hungarian Plain and Transylvania. Although his connection to cooking began much earlier, he chose to pursue the profession consciously after the age of thirty, turning a deeply rooted passion into a defining career. Over the years, he has worked in a wide range of culinary settings, from street food and casual hospitality to the kitchen of the Hungarian Parliament and a Michelin-recommended restaurant. In addition to his work in professional kitchens, he has appeared on television and co-created two cookbooks with international students at the University of Pécs. Today, he is focused on developing a new restaurant concept and launching his own spice brand, while continuing to view gastronomy not only as a profession, but as one of his most authentic forms of self-expression. At the heart of everything he does, however, remains his family and his children.
Support independent analysis and journalism at CEA Magazine: https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/donation
