HUNGARY: It's akin to telling Italians to abandon olive oil or ordering the French to give up garlic, but Hungarian health inspectors have told the nation to steer clear of their beloved paprika, the fiery red spice that gives goulash its kick writes Daniel McLaughlin, in Budapest.
The average Hungarian consumes about half a kilogram of paprika each year and the country makes an annual 12.7 million selling it abroad, but a contaminated batch has caused a culinary crisis.
Thousands of Hungarians flooded a telephone hotline to inquire about food safety after traces of aflatoxin were found in warehouse stores of paprika last week, prompting health officials to order retailers to destroy all products containing the flavouring and to tell consumers to avoid their beloved spice until further notice.
Miles of supermarket shelves were laid bare across Hungary, and restaurant menus were shredded as chefs threw out food that they feared may have already been contaminated.
Health Minister Mr Jeno Racz said the government had been forced into swift and drastic action after finding that paprika stored in public warehouses contained high levels of aflatoxin, which can damage the liver and immune system and may cause cancer.
"This toxin can only be found in paprika coming from the tropics, which indicates that domestic producers illegally mixed imported and domestic products, and misled customers," Mr Racz said.