Paprika Tap de Cortí

Tap de Cortí - meaning "cork stopper" in Mallorquín, the Catalan dialect of Majorca - takes its name from the distinctive shape of the dried pods, which resemble the conical corks once used to stopper traditional Majorcan pottery. The variety has been cultivated exclusively on the island of Majorca for centuries, with the cool maritime climate and traditional drying practices producing the distinctive Majorcan paprika that defines the island's signature cured products. The variety's entire culinary identity is bound up with sobrassada, the soft spreadable Majorcan cured pork sausage that is the island's defining food product. Sobrassada is essentially pork fat, lean pork, salt, and Tap de Cortí paprika - the chilli is the dominant flavour and colour element, and authentic sobrassada cannot be made without the specific paprika produced from this single variety. The combination of variety, climate, and traditional curing practice produces a product that has been protected under Spanish and EU geographical indication law since 1996. The traditional preparation is essential to the flavour. Tap de Cortí peppers are harvested when fully ripened red, sun-dried on rooftops and terraces across Majorcan villages (a sight characteristic of late summer across the island), and then ground into the distinctive deep-orange paprika that gives sobrassada its colour. The grinding traditionally uses local mineral oil-pressing techniques that incorporate the seed oils into the final product, producing a spice with a particular texture and richness distinct from typical Spanish paprika. The variety has remained almost entirely a Majorcan specialty rather than spreading to broader cultivation. Limited commercial scale, intense regional identity, and the specific conditions required for traditional drying have all kept Tap de Cortí firmly tied to its home island. Sobrassada itself has gained international recognition as Majorcan cuisine has spread, and quality British delicatessens increasingly stock genuine Tap de Cortí-cured sobrassada alongside other premium Spanish charcuterie.