Pimenton de la Vera

Peppers came from the Americas in the sixteenth century and monks at Yuste and Guadalupe are credited with early cultivation; in La Vera the autumn is damp enough that sun-drying does not work, so growers built secaderos, two-storey drying houses where peppers are spread on a slatted floor above a slow oak fire and turned by hand for ten to fifteen days. That smoke is the whole point: the resulting paprika is smoky in a way no other is, and it is what gives Spanish chorizo its character. It comes in three types, dulce, agridulce and picante, and holds protected designation status. A pepper museum in Jaraiz de la Vera explains the process and some mills receive visitors.

What to look for

• The secaderos - two-storey drying houses with oak fires below.
• The three types - dulce, agridulce and picante paprika.
• The autumn drying - peppers turned by hand over ten to fifteen days.
• The Jaraiz museum - the pepper museum explaining the tradition.

When to go

October to December for the drying season, when the smoke from the secaderos hangs in the valley; the paprika is sold year-round. La Vera in spring and autumn is green and mild.

What to expect

Working secaderos are private and visits need arrangement through producers or the museum. Much paprika sold as smoked is not from La Vera, so the designation label matters. The picante grade is genuinely hot.

Nearby

Yuste monastery is in the same valley; the Jerte valley lies north over the pass.