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This is incredible. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when hearing about Hungary? Propbably parika or wine. B/c that's what we're famous for, our Kalocsa Paprika and Tokaji wine.

Now, Kalocsa (the town where they produce paprika) doesn't get enough support from the government (the losses of producing paprika usually mop up the profit, and they don't get enough compensation), so what do they do? Mix it with another kind from South America - which, apparently, is infected with aflatoxin which causes a serious liver disease if consumed regularly.

So now paprika is banned (literally), distribution is prohibited and you can't get any Hungarian meal in the restaurants (the rest of them like Fish Soup and Gulash, and basically, Hungarian food are usually based on paprika).

Fortunately, this restraint will last for up to a week, but still I'm astonished that something like this could happen...

Atleast you still have the wine

But that's very werid, ok its for the peoples safety, but why not allow imported paprika's? This makes no sence.

We have no imported paprika besides the South American kind, which is mixed into the original Importing paprika sounds like blasphemy, since this is one of our national pride. It was, at least, until now

Don't eat them Brynn tin tin, we'd hate to loose you here.

Well, I'm sure we'll have a different opinion as soon as CM arrives

Hell, I'll eat them if he arrives!

Whoa, how did you manage to get over a 1k of posts already?

This is terrible! Although, I have to admit, I've never eaten paprika before . But I HAVE drunk Hungarian wine. Then again it was during a binge in which I drank German beer, and French wine, and all other kinds of alcoholic beverages. I don't clearly remember whether Hungarian wine was among them but I think it was. Ach, who am I kidding I can't remember anything of that entire day, so hammered was I . In any event, hope your paprika crisis ends so that those who eat paprika can breath a sigh of relief .

Paprika is both an excellent spice, in several different varieties, and very good for you. A Hungarian scientist won a Nobel prize in the early years of the last century by exploring the benefits of Vitamin C derived from paprika.

@Brynn, I'm shocked to hear that about Hungarian paprika, though. I hope the firms that have been mixing the South American kind in with theirs are fined huge sums--can you find out if any penalties are levied?

[QUOTE=Opalescence]This is terrible! Although, I have to admit, I've never eaten paprika before . [/QUOTE]

How come?

Well, paprika in general can be divided into to large groups: the yellow paprika is for cooking or eating (in one piece, as picked from the plantation) and the red is for making spice (grounded) [in fact, the first kind can be of any color]. The paprika we're speaking of is the spicy kind.

@Fable, I read that Univer (a company producing paprika products like paprika cream, gulash cream and so on) brought a suit against the health organization (who proclaimed the spice toxic) saying that their products don't contain paprika at all Kind of funny. (Well, I guess they meant that kind of paprika).

I think the fact that the paprika was mixed had never been a secret, it just wasn't popular. Of course the producer will bear the responsibility, but the consequences will not be horrible - they can get like a ridiculous 500E fine, that's nothing.

The reason everybody is schoked is not the toxin itself, but the thing that one of our most popular product is involved in this. Some say it was an anti-EU lobby to discredit Hungary.

Interesting, that the taste of our yellow paprika is very different from the yellow paprika eaten in other countries (called Californian). Honestly, it's more tasty, and available only in one bright yellow color (unlike the Californian which can be red, yellow or even dark green).

@Rob-hin, I didn't realize! Oh god I missed the great chance to have a tequila

[QUOTE=fable]A Hungarian scientist won a Nobel prize in the early years of the last century by exploring the benefits of Vitamin C derived from paprika.
[/QUOTE]

I only know about one person who won a nobel prize for exploring vitamine c and antioxidant, and that is Linus Pauling. Is it him you are talking about? Because I always thought he was from USA??

Fable means Szent-Györgyi Albert, and he was Hungrian indeed. He found out that vitamin C can be extracted from paprika.

[QUOTE=Brynn]This is incredible. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when hearing about Hungary? Propbably parika or wine. B/c that's what we're famous for, our Kalocsa Paprika and Tokaji wine.

Now, Kalocsa (the town where they produce paprika) doesn't get enough support from the government (the losses of producing paprika usually mop up the profit, and they don't get enough compensation), so what do they do? Mix it with another kind from South America - which, apparently, is infected with aflatoxin which causes a serious liver disease if consumed regularly.

So now paprika is banned (literally), distribution is prohibited and you can't get any Hungarian meal in the restaurants (the rest of them like Fish Soup and Gulash, and basically, Hungarian food are usually based on paprika).

Fortunately, this restraint will last for up to a week, but still I'm astonished that something like this could happen...[/QUOTE]

...That's a load of crap. I know this is random, but is there anything you could compare Papriaka to taste-wise? (I've never eaten it).

And, if CM posts here, ignore whatevere he says. DON'T EAT THEM.

[QUOTE=Brynn]Fable means Szent-Györgyi Albert, and he was Hungrian indeed. He found out that vitamin C can be extracted from paprika.[/QUOTE]

Yes of course I know about him. He won 1937.
But it was not so much because he isolated vitamine C from paprika that he won the prize. It was ”for the description of vitamin C and the discovery that oxygen combines with hydrogen in cellular respiration”

Whatever I think he discovered many other medical things, but I wouldn't be able to list them now

TM, I couldn't eat it even if I wanted to b/c I simply can't get any... Not that I want to And when did I EVER listen to CM's advices anyway?

[QUOTE=Brynn]I think he discovered many other medical things, but I wouldn't be able to list them now
[/QUOTE]

Yes he discovered many important things in physiology, chemestry and cellular biology. He also discovered the proteins actin and myosin in muscles I think.
He is a scientist that Hungary can be proud of!

Paprika is usually called peppers or something in the US, I think. So most of you have eaten it. I always used to get disappointed every time it said peppers and it was the non-spicy kind. Peppers kind of implies spicy in my mind.

It is always sad when some cultural heritage or special foods gets destroyed or watered down by company greed or ignorance. I hope the paprika-scandal of Hungary doesn't make people too depressed and aggravated. From my very short experience of Hungary, I found it very pleasant with very nice people and beautiful scenery. Im quite certain Im am much more grumpy and unpleasant person because of all the good fruitbased thingies (my cooking skills are ...um... lacking, yes, somewhat lacking! Thats it.) that have been "improved" by artificial sweeteners and the fact that jam generally is more something else than fruit.

[QUOTE=Brynn]Interesting, that the taste of our yellow paprika is very different from the yellow paprika eaten in other countries (called Californian). Honestly, it's more tasty, and available only in one bright yellow color (unlike the Californian which can be red, yellow or even dark green). [/QUOTE]

I agree, the Hungarian yellow is superior to the kind you can buy everywhere in US supermarkets. That said, the dark green paprika is extremely tasty very strong-flavored. It's usually sliced, and served in Italian dishes.

[QUOTE=Brynn]Whatever I think he discovered many other medical things, but I wouldn't be able to list them now

TM, I couldn't eat it even if I wanted to b/c I simply can't get any... Not that I want to And when did I EVER listen to CM's advices anyway? [/QUOTE]

LOL!

A good question. You would have to be PRETTY brain-dead to listen to CM.

So, how much longer before this whole thing pans out and Hungary's Paprika market gets back to normal?

Everything is OK now, it took only a few days, fortunately. So now you can come and eat Gulash anytime you want

But are they still importing the S American stuff? Or is paprika labelled as "Hungarian" truly harvested and packaged at home?