Spice
Paprika
Also called sweet paprika, Spanish paprika, pimentón
Dried peppers ground to a powder. Sweet Hungarian paprika, hot paprika and Spanish pimentón (often smoked) are different tins. It is not American chilli powder, which is usually a blend.
Origin
Capsicum came from the Americas; Hungarians and Spaniards turned it into a national powder.
Flavour
Sweet red pepper, sometimes with smoke, sometimes with a gentle heat. Old paprika smells of nothing and tastes of dust with a bitter edge.
How it is made
Ripe peppers are dried — in air, or over oak smoke for Spanish pimentón — then ground. Industrial paprika is often more about colour.
How to use it
Stir it into warm oil or fat for a few seconds so it blooms, then add liquid or tomato at once — paprika burns and turns bitter if you fry it like garlic. That bloom is the colour of paella and the warmth of shakshuka. Smoked pimentón will hijack a dish; use less than you would sweet paprika. If a recipe wants Kashmiri chilli and you only have sweet paprika, add a pinch of cayenne for fruit-heat. American chilli powder already contains cumin and oregano — read the tin. Salt still comes from you.
Storage
Dark cupboard, lid on. Buy small tins and replace them when the colour dulls.
Recipes using it
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