Widely regarded as one of the finest forms of smoked paprika in the world, Spanish pimentón de la Vera is so special that it has an internationally recognized Protected Designation of Origin status.
The method for preparing this smoked paprika goes back centuries: Every September, peppers of varying heat are hand-picked by the locals in La Vera before being slow-dried at around 95°F over smoldering holm oak logs for two weeks, which draws out their moisture while maintaining their original flavor and contributing smoky notes. The peppers require daily turning by hand and then are pulverized by traditional stone mills.