A pimiento, also spelled pimento, is a small sweet red pepper, similar to, but more flavorful than, a bell pepper. It is the fruit of the Capsicum annuum, and has a tougher skin than a bell pepper. When used fresh, the skin is typically removed -- one old-fashioned method was to hold the pimiento on a long fork over a fire to char the skin, which would then easily pull off. Pimiento is more familiar to Americans as the square red strip that is found inside most brands of seedless olives; it is the 'stuffing' in the 'stuffed olive'. It is not clear when olives were first stuffed with pimiento.

Pimiento can be grown and used just like bell pepper, slivered and added raw to salads, or stuffed and baked as a sidedish or entree. Available in 'olive stuffing sized strips' in the grocery store, canned pimientio tastes great in pasta salads, cheese spreads and dips, and chicken or tuna salad sandwich spread; its uses are endless. Fold canned pimiento into softened cream cheese for a quick bread spread. Add finely diced celery or pinenuts for crunch, if desired.

Grown commercially in Spain, Hungary, Morocco and the Middle East, the pimiento is native to South America. Pimiento dried and ground fine becomes the spice paprika, which is widely used in Hungarian and other cuisines. Paprika is added to stews, vegetables and other dishes both for its pungent flavor and to add an attractive red color to the dish. Paprikash is a dish prepared with paprika and sour cream -- it is most typically made with chicken, although turkey and vegetarian versions are also quite good. Serve paprikash over buttered noodles.

Some commercial preparations of paprika add a bit of cayenne pepper to jazz up the flavor. In this case, the product will probably be labelled 'hot paprika'. Both pimiento and paprika are very good sources of Vitamins A and C.