A 'Nawlins Switch-Up

Cut the cayenne from your Cajun and Creole cooking. Hot paprika is where the party’s at.

- Dave Dewitt

THE CHILE PEPPER THAT’S COMMONLY USED TO SPICE UP CAJUN AND CREOLE DISHES IS CAYENNE, WHICH, IRONICALLY, IS NOT COMMERCIALLY GROWN IN LOUISIANA. Most of the cayenne crop is grown in New Mexico, where it is turned into pepper mash and shipped to Louisiana in railroad tanker cars to make hot sauce like Crystal and Louisiana Gold. And often what is dried and packaged as “cayenne” is not that particular cultivar, but rather a very pungent ground red chile, such as piquin.

Other chiles can also be used in Cajun and Creole cuisine. A stellar substitute? The flavorful spicy paprikas. Many people don’t realize that there are quite pungent paprikas out there; part of the problem is that the USDA defines paprika in the U.S. as “any nonpungent red pepper.” But over in Hungary, it’s another story. Paprika, often nicknamed “red gold” because it’s such a valuable crop, has several different types, all with differing colors and pungency. Here’s a crash course: