Pimenton ahumado vs. Pimenton de la vera

Question

Besides the noticeable cost difference between these two, what is the difference between pimenton ahumado and pimenton de la vera? Both are purported to be Spanish smoked paprika.

Answer 1

From the best I can tell, "de la vera" is a regional form of spanish smoked paprika, where ahumado is the more generic form. Sort of like how real cheddar cheese only comes from Cheddar, England or or a true Burgundy wine can only come from Burgundy, France - "de la vera" comes from around the Tietar River in La Vera, Spain.

Pimenton de la Vera has been protected by a certified designation of origin since 1998 in order to provide you, the end consumer, with a guarantee that you really are getting the best. The government managed regulating council for Pimenton de la Vera carefully monitors all steps of growing, harvest, and production to ensure the strictest quality standards are met. No simple pepper can meet these standards, only those who follow the time-honored traditions exactly. Although there are many other paprika’s in the world, including other certified origin products such as our Pimenton from Murcia, only those grown and smoked in the La Vera valley may bear the certification.

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Answer 2

Briefly:

• "pimentón" is Spanish for "paprika".
• "ahumado" is Spanish for "smoked". There is non-smoked pimentón as well, so "pimentón ahumado" is just one of the varieties of pimentón. Others are "dulce" ("sweet", meaning not hot) and "picante" ("hot").
• "de La Vera" means "from La Vera" which, as Ryan says, is a region in Spain where they make one of the best-known smoked paprikas in Spain.

So, "pimentón ahumado" is a generic, very much like "red wine", whereas "pimentón de La Vera" is a specific provenance product, like "Rioja" or "Barossa Valley".