Capsicum peppers were brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, and the Spanish were the first to mill them into a powdered spice. Today, pimentón (paprika) remains one of the Spanish kitchen's defining ingredients. Not far from where Columbus introduced the capsicum plant to Spain, is the Extremadura region, famous for its world-renowned smoked paprika. In 1993, smoked paprika from La Vera, in Extremadura, became the world’s first pepper spice with denomination of origin status.

Of all the producers in this area, La Chinata, a small family-owned and operated business, are considered to produce the finest Spanish paprika, owing to their dedication to quality and the patience and care involved in their traditional, artisan process.

Their peppers are oak-smoked for up to two weeks before being slowly ground between stone-cut wheels for 9 hours, until they reach a super-fine texture. The heat produced by the friction of the stones is carefully controlled, as maintaining a lower temperature releases the full aromas and flavours locked in the peppers’ oils.

There are three varieties of La Chinata smoked paprika, each made from a different variety of pepper; Dulce (sweet), Agridulce (bittersweet) and Picante (spicy). Their distinctive red tins are recognised around the world and are the choice of world-famous chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay. Their new innovation are ground paprika flakes (branded under Pons), chunkier than their fine powder and offering a new multitude of uses.