Chili powder & paprika look alike but they are not the same thing. paprika is atype of chili powder but their are specifics that matter here.

Paprika is the dried, ground pods of only Capsicum annum, a red pepper that is either sweet or hot . It can be mildly flavored or spicily pungent and is highly prized for its bright red color. Paprika can & is classified as a chili powder. Chili powder is the dried, ground pods of any & all members of the genus capsicum.

Paprika is used in seasoning blends for barbeque, snack foods, goulash, chili & in the cuisines of India, Morocco, Europe & the Middle East. Chili powder is used in the cuisines of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, South America & the Caribbean as well as the U.S. Southwest in Tex-Mex cuisine that originated in that region. The center of cultivation is in Santa Fe, New Mexico but abounds through out the area.

Early Spanish explorers took red pepper seeds back to Europe, from the Americas where the plant gradually lost its hot & pungent taste to become "sweet paprika." In North, Central & South America it is called chili powder. Paprika is primarily produced in Spain, Central Europe, and the United States. Although both Spanish and Domestic Paprika are mild and sweet in flavor, several important differences exist. Domestic Paprika is normally fresh, green and vegetable-like, while the Spanish Paprika exhibits a more fermented & piquant flavor. Historically, the Central European varieties were more pungent, but they now in later times they have begun to exhibit a sweetness similar to Spanish Paprika.

Christopher Columbus made 2 accidental discoveries. His discovery of a spice so pungent that it rivaled the better known black pepper from the East Indies was huge in terms of its impact upon commerce as well as its impetus in changing the "old" cuisines of south & central Europe. Some 500+ years later, chili peppers (Capsicum) have come to dominate the world's hot spice trade & are grown everywhere in the tropics as well as in some temperate regions of the globe. By the 1560's, these peppers had reached the Balkans where they were called ,i>peperkepaparka. The peppers soon migrated to Hungary, now renowned for its paprika. The Szeged & Kalocsa regions of Hungary are the most well known producers of sweet paprika. The Paprika Museum makes its home in Kalocsa, and the city celebrates its famous spice with the Paprika Festival each year in October.

Hot peppers have come to command the world's spice trade but a genetic recessive non-pungent form has become an important "green" vegetable crop on a global scale especially in temperate regions. The genus Capsicum is a member of the Solanaceae, a large tropical family. Science ascribes some 31 species to this genus but this is only an estimate with anticipated new species yet to be discovered and named as exploration of the tropical regions of the Americas continually expands.

Many & varied uses for this genus have been found not only in cuisines but in medicine as well. A Hungarian scientist actually won a Nobel Prize for research on vitamin content of paprika. Pound-for-pound, it has a higher content of Vitamin-C than citrus fruit. From a health standpoint it is a healthy addition to foods as well as a tasty addition.

Paprika has been vastly under-rated by most Americans. It is kept on hand primarily to use as a sprinkled garnish of color on deviled eggs. European cooks use the vibrance of this spice since almost 500+ years ago, and it is finally gaining respect in the United States. Paprika in large amounts lends not only color, but fabulous flavor to many different foods including meats, vegetables, and sauces. In the Americas, especially the area of the southwestern U.S., Chili powder usually in one more degrees of "hot" are used in cooking. In recent years it is becoming widespread all over the US & now into Canada. It is a primary in chili as well as in many other dishes of American cuisine.

Grinding peppers has a long tradition. Originally, dried peppers were simply crumbled into a cooked dish. Later pepeprs was ground with a mortar & pestle. When the demand increased, paprika became a successfully traded commodity. Water & windmills began to grind more & more paprika, then less & less grain, so that over time the process became more refined.

Today, peppers are ground in a closed system, between stones & steel cylinders. The warmth that is created by the friction causes the release of essential oils, and these are that which impart the flavor & color. A high sugar content, enables peppers to also caramelize slightly, intensifying the flavor. In order to achieve the right flavor, a quantity of seeds is added to the pods before they grinding. Pepper millers use their experience to determine exact quantities & ratios. After grinding, laboratory checks are carried out, and tasters make sure that quality remains consistent. If ground paprika meets the requirements, it is filled into bags & stamped with a quality seal.

Whether you call it paprika or chili powder the substance that is world reknowned & a integral part of both Old & New World cuisines remains the King.