Important info about Paprika and (scroll down) Paprika and Gulyas cream.

[Important: The brand shown at the very bottom of this page should be avoided. The colour is not vibrant and the taste is muted to negligible. It’s available everywhere so it’s commonly used, but it will NOT give you an optimal Paprika experience. I used to use it, but the realization of how awful it is came when I got some paprika that a friend brought back from Hungary. All my Hungarian dishes began to taste so much better!!!]

Recent Updates:

Having visited Hungary a couple of years ago, I’ve enjoyed paprika I purchased there. Another great find came from this article in Eater. The paprika described can be purchased online from the NYC store Burlap & Barrel. This paprika is magnificent.

Locally, you can now find these brands - from Starsky’s. All are better than that Pride of Szeged stuff.

Paprika is complicated. At the minimum, it's important to know that Hungarian Paprika comes in both hot and sweet versions. If you are not a big fan of hot (csípős) you will reach for sweet (csemege). (Or use both adding a bit of the hot to the sweet.) "Sweet" simply means not hot - it does not mean 'sweet', as in sugar.  Although...  this natural product made from dried chili/red peppers does have a somewhat high sugar content, causing it to burn easily when added to a hot pan. The colour becomes dark and the flavour bitter, so the rule of thumb is to take the pot off the heat briefly when adding the paprika powder.  Return it to the heat after a few stirs.

Some debate the differences between paprika from Szeged vs. Kalocsa. Furthermore, there are eight grades of paprika, but the debates are useless here since the product most typically available is that pictured on this page - and because of the translation, I can't be sure if it is csemege (exquisite delicate) or the lower-grade Édesnemes (noble sweet). If you ever travel to Hungary aim to buy "különleges" (special quality). Paprika in powdered form is best stored in the freezer (wrapped well). (It does remain easy to scoop and measure - does not freeze into a lump.) 

So what about Paprika Cream? It has become very popular and easy to find in most delis. The one in the red tube has more paprika in it - combined with some red bell pepper and salt (so do watch additional seasoning).  The orange tube - called Gulyas Cream - is similar to the red with the further addition of tomato paste, salt, sugar and onions.

I sometimes use these interchangeably, but when I want a wee bit of tomato flavour I use the gulyas cream.

If using these creams in a recipe to replace powdered paprika double the amount => 1 TB of powdered paprika = at least 2 TB of one of the creams. Add in small amounts until you achieve the desired flavour. Note that these are available in hot (csipos) or sweet (csemege).

Recipes that call for smoked paprika are referring to Spanish paprika.

Reminder - I no longer buy the paprika illustrated below. Don’t waste your money.