> Spice Tour > Paprika / Lal Mirch

Paprika tends to be made from a variety of peppers and thus no one pepper creates a certain paprika powder. Once desiccated, the stalks are removed from the pepper, along with the seeds and veins, and later the wall of the fruit. The seeds and veins are ground independently and subsequently blended, dependant on the type of paprika required.

The capsicums that paprika is made from are native to south America. They were brought to Spain via the journey made by Christopher Columbus in 1492, where the Spaniards became the first to dry and grind the peppers to make paprika.

Although related to the hot chilli pepper, the cultivation of this plant in the Northern Hemisphere has eliminated the capsaicin content which provides chillies with their heat. Paprika tends to have a subtle and delicate aroma with a slight fruitful yet smoky trace. Flavours differ from sweet and smoky to full bodied and pungent.

Paprika has a dominant deep red colour when used in cooking, which is its principal use in Indian cuisine. It can also be used to form spice blends, but care must be taken not to overheat paprika, as it becomes bitter.

Did you know?
A century after being first recorded in Hungary in 1604, it was decided that paprika was a spice used by peasants and it was not until the 19th century that it was considered suitable for "sophisticated stomachs".