Szeged paprika powder

Red, like blood, its taste can be spicy, sweet, hot. Its colour can be green and red, its form can be straight, sharp, rough… You can eat a lot but it isn’t harmful, it is healthy food, rich in vitamins. You can eat it raw or in soups, stew or stuffed. You can make it in a lot of versions. Guess what!? This is paprika. You can know why it is so unique. Keep reading!

Did you know?

1. Probably, Turkish merchants brought paprika into Hungary.

2. It has been growing in Europe since the 16^th century.

3. In Szeged, Franciscans started to grow paprika.

4. High hours of sunlight helps its growing.

5. It helps curing rheumatic illnesses and fever.

6. Till 1940, Hungarian paprika was naturally hot.

7. Meaning of “paprika-splitting”: cutting out the hot veins.

8. Capsaicin causes the hotness of the paprika.

9. After World War II, delicate paprika was produced by breeding.

10. In the interwar period, 10000 people grew paprika in Szeged and in its surroundings.

11. Szeged paprika is one of the main spices of the Hungarian cuisine (food seasoned with paprika, goulash, stew, fish soup, salami).

12. Typical method of its drying was to dry paprika garlands on the walls of the houses.

13. It contains a lot of important vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, P).

13+1. Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel-prized professor discovered vitamin C in paprika.

Paprika in Latin: Capsicum annuum L.

Sándor Bálint, an ethnographer in Szeged said paprika is the blood of Szeged. The word “paprika” emerged in Hungary in the first half of the 18^th century (from 1748, it was also appeared in dictionaries). Paprika is a diminutive of the Serbian and Croatian word “papar” (meaning pepper). Paprika is also known as: törökbors, indiai bors, vörös törökbors, pogánybors, pipárka…

The origin of paprika

The original home of paprika is: South-Mexico, Central America and the Antilles. It was also used as medicine and spice by the Peruvians. Christopher Colombus met paprika during his expedition in the land of Indians. This is why, paprika is also called as Indian pepper.

From the 16^th century, it spread as an ornamental plan in Europe and it also reached Hungary from Turkish Empire.

Appearance in Hungary:

The first notice of its Hungarian appearance was in the garden of Margit Széchy where paprika was grown as red pepper. Firstly, it was an ornament of aristocratic gardens, later from the 18^th century, it became spice, probably owing to Bulgarian gardeners who settled in the Hungarian Plain.

In Szeged:

Owing to the Franciscan cloister, paprika spread in Szeged. Franciscans healed and taught people in their huge missionary fields during the Turkish occupation of Hungary. Franciscans garden was far-famed from their herbs, trees, exotic plants. Thanks to them, paprika spread in the surroundings. The first recorded use of the word paprika in Szeged is from 1748. Till the early 19^th century, it was grown in family farms, later also in big, co-operative farms. Among the districts of Szeged, it spread mainly in Alsóváros and Röszke, Szentmihály, Horgos, Alsótanya.

Further information:

You can read more about its history in Szeged: http://szegedma.hu/hir/szeged/2011/08/szegedikumok-%E2%80%93-a-szegedi-paprika-fotok-video.html#more-142345

Tricks in Szeged:

The plants were grown in the leeward gardens and during the planting of paprika in the end of May/beginning of June, children couldn’t go to school because the whole family took part in the plating. Later, when paprika grew bigger, it was hacked backwards, in order not to trample down the cultivated area.

Watering, carrying water were the tasks of men. Harvesting paprika started on 8^th September on the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first harvest was the most valuable, the second was lighter and smaller so separate garlands were made from them. If autumn was long, paprika could be harvested for the third time. The paprika market was on Square Valéria (now: Square Bartók) in Szeged.

Valuable paprika species:

Valued paprika species as source material: Bíbor, Bolero, Délibáb, Fesztivál, Folklor, Kárminvörös, Mihálytelki, Napfény, Remény, Rubinvörös, Sláger, Szegedi F-03 (hot), Szegedi nem csípős 57-13, Szegedi 178 (hot), Szegedi 179 (hot), Szegedi 20, Szegedi 80, Viktória, Zuhatag

Beneficial result:

It flavours meat, promotes digestion, it helps curing rheumatic illnesses and fever. The surroundings of Szeged, the valley of River Tisza are especially suitable for growing paprika: the high hours of sunlight, conditions of soil, growing experience and experimenting of the inhabitants of Szeged contributed to the success of paprika, formed the colour, taste and aroma of Szeged paprika.

Reputation:

Albert Szent-Györgyi extracted and discovered vitamin C from paprika during his research in Szeged. He told the story of the discovery: “In the evening, my wife gave me some peppers for dinner. I didn’t want to eat them but I wasn’t brave enough to tell her. Then, I thought, I have never tried out this plant. I told my wife I took this paprika into my laboratory, rather than ate it. Later that night, I knew, this paprika is rich in vitamin C. After few weeks, I had 1,5 kg vitamins in my hand; till then, I had only thousandth grams. I shared it all over the world so everybody knew the exact chemical structure of vitamin C.”

He won the Nobel-prize in 1937 for discovering vitamin C.

Preserving traditions:

The first paprika festival was organized in Szeged in 1999, its name was “Csongrád Megyei Paprikasó”. Exhibitions which promote paprika are organized every year in early October in Szeged: Paprika Days, Szeged Paprika Festival, Paprika Festival of Alsóváros. The “Szeged Paprika Ambassador” title is given in this festival.

There was a successful Guinness world record in Szeged, 2005. A 697 m long garland was made from 40000 peppers.

Suggestion: Look for paprika motives in Szeged or anywhere you go. Send them us! Here is an example from us.

The paprika bell (St. Piroska) of the Church in Szeged, Alsóváros

In 1921, paprika farmers, processors and merchants and local people in Alsóváros gave money for the bell which is 710 kg and its lower circle is 110 cm. It was founded in Budapest by László Szlezák. The former bell was melted in during the World War I for military aims. Its patron saint became Saint Piroska because lot of women were named Piroska in Szeged. For the decoration of the upper part of the bell, paprika motives were used, on the lower part, grape motives and whales can be seen. On one side, St. Piroska can be seen and below her the following text:

“SAINT PIROSKA PRAY FOR US!”

On the other side the following text can be seen:

"A SZEGED ALSÓVÁROSI PAPRIKA TERMELŐK ÉS KERESKEDŐK HARANGJA."
ISTEN DICSŐSÉGÉRE ÖNTETTÉK, BACK BERNÁT ÉS NEJE, ÖZV. BÖRCSÖK ISTVÁNNÉ,
ÖZV. CSONKA LAJOSNÉ, DEÁK JÁNOS ÉS NEJE, DOBÓ JÁNOS, ÖZV. FARKAS JÓZSEFNÉ ÉS FIAI,
GÁRGYÁN JÁNOS ÉS NEJE, ÖZV. KÓRMÁNYOS ANTALNÉ, PÁLFFI DÁNIEL, PEREGI MIHÁLY,
MAGYAR OL. BANK SZEGED ALSÓV. FIÓKJA, MÉSZÁROS JÓZSEF ÉS NEJE, SZÉCSI IMRE ÉS CSALÁDJA,
SZEGEDI PAPRIKA KIRENDELTSÉG, SZEGEDI HANGYA KIRENDELTSÉG ÉS A SZENTMIHÁLYTELKI HIVEK.
SZLEZÁK LÁSZLÓ HARANGÖNTŐ ÁLTAL BUDAPEST 1921."

In 2005, the bell cracked and thanks to donations it was re-founded by Miklós Gombos. The new bell is 750 kg. The old bell can be seen in the visiting centre in Alsóváros.

Szeged paprika powder

Top viewed values

Támogatóink

Impresszum

Jogi nyilatkozat

Contact

Szeged paprika powder

Search

Top viewed values

Tags