In this documentary you can find out about this unique product’s origin, foundation and importance: La Vera Smoked Paprika with a Certified Designation of Origin.
The pepper used in smoked paprika came from the Americas and was offered to the Catholic Monarchs at the Monastery of Guadalupe.
In the sixteenth century it was brought to La Vera by the Hieronymite monks of the Monastery of Yuste.
Within the endless quiet of the monastery, the Hieronymites developed a true joy for the senses.
From its beginnings in the Monastery of Yuste, pepper cultivation expanded to the irrigated areas of the La Vera region.
Today cultivation covers around 1,500 hectares and annually yields about 4,500,000 kilos, carrying a Certified Designation of Origin.
In La Vera the pepper plant found a magnificent habitat in which to develop and expand its cultivation.
The pepper harvest begins once the product is ripe.
The smoking process is carried out in a traditional fashion, drying the peppers with holm and oak smoke.
The drying process is slow, lasting 10 to 15 days. The farmer turns the product manually on a daily basis so that the fruit is dried evenly.
That smoky aroma and flavour that impregnate the pepper give La Vera Smoked Paprika its unmistakable quality.
La Vera Smoked Paprika is no longer a pleasure exclusive to Spain- little by little it has crossed borders and managed to claim a spot in the best kitchens of Europe, the USA, China, Russia, Japan and others.
Many consumers associate the aroma of the cured meats of the area with its specific taste and flavour. Surely, it is without knowing that these are the qualities La Vera Smoked Paprika brings to these products.
In short, La Vera Smoked Paprika is a genuine product, identified with the roots of its land and universal fame.