Smoky
Smoked paprika, chipotle and black cardamom: fire and smoke in a jar.
Smoky spices carry the taste of fire. Smoked paprika, chipotle, black cardamom, lapsang tea and some salts and chilli flakes give a campfire scent.
Where smoke comes from
Smoked flavour is gained by drying or roasting over wood. In La Vera in Spain, peppers are dried over oak, and chipotle is a ripe jalapeno smoke-dried in Mexico. Black cardamom pods are dried over open fires in the Himalayas.
How cooks use them
Smoky spices add depth to stews, beans, rubs, barbecue, paella and marinades. A small amount gives the effect of long cooking over fire without the effort.
Tips
Use a light hand, as smoke can dominate a dish. Smoked paprika comes sweet, bittersweet and hot, so choose by taste.
Smoky on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 1 moreChipotle
Smoke-dried ripe jalape帽o peppers used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cookingChilli 路 Hot and fiery 路 Smoky
馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyUrfa biber
A sun-dried and night-wrapped chili from Turkey with a smoky, raisin-like taste.Chilli 路 Smoky 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreChimay贸 pepper
A prized New Mexico chile cultivar known for its sweet, smoky flavor and twisted dried pods.Chilli 路 Sweet and mellow 路 Smoky
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoChile de 谩rbol
A small, fiery Mexican chili pepper known for its grassy heat and bright red dried pods.Chilli 路 Hot and fiery 路 Smoky
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chimay贸 pepper: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chipotle: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Chile de 谩rbol: Cliff Hutson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Urfa biber: Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source