FDBusiness.com

EHL Ingredients has added organic smoked Spanish paprika to its product range in the UK, on the back of increased interest in Spanish-style tapas dishes.

The ingredient is made from organic, Spanish-grown peppers, which are dried over oak to impart a distinctive smoky flavour and aroma, a bright red colour, and a smoky-sweet, mild spicy flavour. The company says the ingredient is available in 25 kg bags for making authentic organic Mediterranean dishes, like paella and tapas, as well as for stews, soups, sauces, salad dressings, marinades and salsas.

“Tapas is becoming one of the fastest growing cuisines in Britain both within in-home dining and eating out,” said sales director at EHL Ingredients Tasneem Backhouse.

“Capitalising on this trend, many supermarkets have launched their own ranges of Spanish-inspired ready meals and prepared tapas. The rise in popularity of Spanish food has been greatly helped by consumers’ adventurous palates and preferences for stronger flavours and our new Organic Smoked Spanish Paprika will help food manufacturers and chefs to recreate authentic Spanish-style dishes and ready meals.”

She added that organic foods had seen a rebound in sales since February, following a decline in sales due to the financial crisis.

Since 2007, demand for organic products has been affected throughout Europe, but there are major differences among national markets.

The UK has been most adversely affected, and the organic market there has declined. Italy and Switzerland have shown slower (but positive) growth, and sales in the Netherlands and France have continued to grow by double digit percentages.