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PDO · 2007La Vera, Extremadura, Spain
Smoked Paprika
PDO 2007
Pimenton de la Vera DOP
EU-protected origin
2 weeks
of oak-wood smoking
low slow smoke, no heat
3 grades
Dulce, Agridulce, Picante
sweet, bittersweet, hot
16th c.
Hieronymites at Yuste
brought seed from Americas
Visual atlas
Profile
Pimenton de la Vera is the true smoked paprika, a Capsicum annuum powder from the Tietar valley of northern Extremadura, Spain, granted PDO status in 2007. Four local cultivars are authorised — Jaranda, Jariza, Bola and Jeromin — planted on the alluvial flats between Jarandilla de la Vera and Plasencia. After harvest the fruit is carried up to slatted wooden drying barns called secaderos where it is smoked for ten to fifteen days over a low, continuous fire of holm-oak and Pyrenean-oak wood. This slow, cold cure (internal temperature under 60 C) is what sets it apart from Hungarian edes paprika, Moroccan felfla harra or any oven-dried chile powder: the pepper absorbs phenols from the smoke while its carotenoids concentrate to a deep brick red. After smoking the pods are stone-milled, often several times, into a fine powder. The PDO defines three grades by cultivar blend and capsaicin: Dulce (sweet, mostly Bola and Jaranda), Agridulce (bittersweet) and Picante (hot, richer in Jeromin). Smoked paprika is the backbone of chorizo, sobrasada, pulpo a la gallega, paella, patatas bravas and migas extremenas.
Origin
PDO · 2007La Vera, Extremadura, Spain.
PDO since 2007.
Spain
La Vera, Extremadura · Jaraiz de la Vera, Caceres (Spain)
Process
01February
Sowing
Capsicum annuum seeds started under cover — Jaranda, Jariza, Bola, Jeromin cultivars, each with its shape and weight.
02May
Transplant to fields
Young plants go into the La Vera valley — Gredos foothills, north-facing, granite soil, mild humidity off the Tietar river.
03September
Harvest
Red pods are hand-picked when fully coloured. Small growers still pick in baskets.
04October
Smokehouse
Peppers dry on slatted wooden racks over a slow oak-wood fire for 10-15 days, turned daily — the signature of La Vera.
05November
Stone mill
After smoking, peppers are stone-ground into fine powder, then blended to Dulce, Agridulce or Picante grades.
06Your jar
Tin, not glass
Traditionally packed in airtight tins — smoked paprika fades fast in light. Use within 8-12 months.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
La Vera's two-week oak-wood smoke drives phenolic compounds (guaiacol, syringol) deep into the capsanthin-rich flesh — smoke becomes the spice.
300-500
ASTA colour units
deep crimson Dulce
0.02%
Capsaicinoids (Picante)
Dulce has near-zero
14%
Moisture
after smoke-drying
15 ppm
Guaiacol
from oak smoke
Volatile compound profile
- Capsanthin38.0%
Not aroma — the deep red pigment that defines visual identity.
- Capsorubin12.0%
Sister carotenoid, deepens colour toward brown-red.
- Guaiacol3.5%
Phenolic smoke signature from oak wood — warm, medicinal, smoky.
- 4-methylguaiacol2.1%
Vanilla-smoky edge, sweeter than pure guaiacol.
- Syringol1.8%
Clove-smoke phenol from hardwood lignin.
- Capsaicin (Picante only)0.4%
Heat molecule, only in hot grade — Dulce is near-silent.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Capsanthin | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Pimentón Dulce (La Vera) Caceres · sweet, full smoke | 500 SHU | 0.005% |
Pimentón Agridulce Caceres · bittersweet balance | 1,500 SHU | 0.015% |
Pimentón Picante Caceres · hot, full smoke | 3,000 SHU | 0.03% |
Hungarian sweet paprika Kalocsa · sweet, no smoke | 500 SHU | 0.005% |
Espelette AOP Labourd · no smoke, fruit-forward | 4,000 SHU | 0.04% |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
3 signature dishes
From the Extremadura smokehouses out to every tapa bar in Madrid — pimenton is Spain's house red.
- Chorizograde: pimenton-dulce
Cured pork sausage coloured and flavoured by generous Dulce or Picante.
- Paella valencianagrade: pimenton-dulce
The rice's amber-red base is built on pimenton and saffron.
- Patatas bravasgrade: pimenton-picante
Fried potato cubes under a pimenton-tomato brava sauce.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
烟熏红椒粉
🇬🇧 Englishen
Smoked Paprika
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Paprika fume
🇩🇪 Germande
Gerauchertes Paprikapulver
🇮🇳 Hindihi
धूम्रपान पेपरिका
🇮🇹 Italianit
Paprika affumicata
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
スモークパプリカ
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Colorau fumado
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Pimenton de la Vera
Seasonality
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Peak harvestTail harvestStored, available
Pairings
Protein
- Chorizo
- Pulpo a la gallega
Plant
- Patatas bravas
Frequent questions
It is the smoked paprika produced in the La Vera valley of northern Caceres, Extremadura, under Spanish DOP status (confirmed at EU level in 2007). The region uses four authorised Capsicum annuum cultivars — Jaranda, Jariza, Bola and Jeromin — smoked over oak wood for ten to fifteen days, then stone-ground. Other smoked paprikas exist, but only La Vera carries that DOP seal.