Working from before dawn until midnight, farmers Nikoletta Pajsan Nagy and Laszlo Pajsan fought Europe’s driest summer ever to save their red pepper harvest in Hungary.
At last month’s annual fair in Kalocsa, one of Hungary’s main paprika-growing regions, the aroma of meat stews and fish soups laced with the vibrant scarlet spice filled the air as teams poured generous amounts into their cauldrons at a cooking contest. Along with some other EU nations, Hungary experienced its driest summer since records began in 1901 and its second-hottest on record, according to national weather service HungaroMet.
climate change is making paprika production more difficult and costly, according to Robert Braj, an adviser at Dutch-owned BWA Kft, one of Hungary’s top food-seasoning manufacturers While cheap imports from China and parts of South America are squeezing producers. Hungary’s Agriculture and Food Economy Ministry told AFP it seeks to strengthen producers’ competitiveness, but it is yet to announce any new measures. “For us Hungarians, paprika is a wonder,” one of the competitors, local fast-food restaurant owner Imre Zseni said, while stirring a beef stew. But younger generations cook fewer traditional Hungarian recipes, and they prefer food “that is faster and easier to prepare,” according to specialist Braj.
