Paprikash (sometimes spelled paprikás) is a traditional Hungarian stew made with meat, onions, and plenty of paprika, a reddish spice ground from dried sweet peppers. The dish gets its name from paprika, which gives it a rich, warm flavor and deep orange-red color.

The most common version uses chicken, called chicken paprikash, though cooks also make it with veal, pork, or beef. The meat simmers in a creamy sauce thickened with sour cream, creating something hearty and comforting. Hungarians typically serve paprikash over egg noodles or small dumplings.

Paprika itself is Hungary's signature spice. Hungarian cooks use it the way American cooks use salt and pepper: in almost everything. When Hungarian immigrants came to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they brought paprikash with them, and it became popular in cities with large Hungarian communities. Today you'll find chicken paprikash on menus at Hungarian restaurants and in cookbooks about traditional European cooking. The dish shows how a simple combination of ingredients, when prepared with care and the right spices, can become a beloved part of a country's food culture for generations.