Paprika in Hungary: from Turkish pepper to a Nobel Prize
Chillies were known in Hungary by 1569, and a 1604 dictionary calls them "Turkish pepper". The word "paprika" came into common use only around 1775. Szeged became the centre of paprika growing, and in the 1930s Albert Szent-Györgyi’s team there used Szeged paprika as its source of vitamin C, research recognised by his 1937 Nobel Prize.
Checked October 20, 2026 · How we source facts
Timeline
- 1569
Paprika peppers are known in Hungary, according to the Oxford Companion to Food as cited. [1]
- 1604
A Hungarian dictionary lists the plant as 'Török bors', meaning Turkish pepper (George Lang, as cited). [1]
- 1775
A 1775 Herbarium by J. Csapó uses the name 'paprika', a diminutive of the South Slavic papar ('pepper'). [1]
- Early 19th century onward
Paprika is grown commercially around Szeged, probably first by the Franciscan monks of Szeged-Alsóváros. By the end of the century it is the city's leading product. [2]
- 1930s
At the University of Szeged, Szent-Györgyi's team uses paprika as the source of vitamin C for their experiments. [3]
- 1937
Szent-Györgyi wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. [3]
Customs and words
- Paprika splitting: Hungarian paprika was hot until the 1940s. Sweet powders were made by removing the hot parts by hand, and between the world wars more than ten thousand people did this work. [2]
- Hungarikum: Szeged ground paprika is listed as a Hungarikum, an official Hungarian national treasure. [2]
Questions
When did paprika come to Hungary?
Chillies were known there by 1569, and the name "paprika" came into common use around 1775.
Was Hungarian paprika always sweet?
No. It was hot until the 1940s. Sweet powder was made by removing the hot parts by hand, work that employed more than ten thousand people between the world wars.
More chilli history
- Chilli in Mexico: where it began, and what the Aztecs did with it
- Chilli in Peru: 7,500 years of uchu
- How chilli reached Europe: Columbus, Spain and Portugal
- Chilli in India: from Portuguese ships to 40% of the world’s dried chillies
- Chilli in Korea: why kimchi wasn’t always red
- Chilli in China: a garden ornament that won Sichuan and Hunan
- Chilli in Thailand: the heat came from pepper first
- Chilli in Africa: berbere, melegueta and the Mombasa chilli
- Chilli in the USA: Tabasco, the Scoville test and New Mexico
- Chilli history myths, checked
Sources
- Wikipedia (citing Davidson, Oxford Companion to Food; George Lang, The Cuisine of Hungary, 1994): Known in Hungary by 1569; 1604 dictionary 'Török bors'; 'paprika' in common use from 1775; etymology from Serbo-Croatian papar (secondary source)
- Hungarikum Committee, Hungarian government (Ground paprika from Szeged): Brought by the Turks in the 16th-17th c.; Franciscan monks of Szeged-Alsóváros likely first growers; hot until 1940s; paprika splitting; 10,000+ workers between the wars
- Science History Institute: Szeged a major paprika centre; paprika tested for ascorbic acid; Nobel Prize 1937; dinner-table story labelled 'legend' (secondary source)