La Vera Smoked Hot Paprika, also known as picante, is a Spanish paprika that has been smoked the traditional way – in a drying house, over oak wood, for a period of 10-15 days. The end result is a spice that exhibits a deep, dark earthy red color and mild, but noticeable, heat. This spice measures approximately 500 - 1,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit Scale.
Within the fruit, capsaicin is present in the placenta of the pepper, the white pith the seeds are attached to, which we call ribs or veins. To a lesser extent, it can also be found in the other fleshy parts of the fruit. Contrary to what you might believe, the seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin.
It’s thought that paprika was introduced to Hungary sometime before 1550 and was first adopted by shepherds and fishermen, who found paprika to be a welcome, and spicy, addition to their more humble foods. The plants, with their pretty white flowers and vibrant red pods, were at first used decoratively in more aristocratic circles but by 1569 were being written about in reference to edible agriculture.