Paprika

Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally from varieties in the Longum group of Capsicum annuum, milder and thinner-fleshed than those used to produce chili powder; the milder, sweet paprika is composed mostly of pepper flesh with most of the seeds removed, while hotter paprika retains some seeds and stalks. Like all Capsicum varieties, paprika peppers descend from wild ancestors of the Amazon River basin, cultivated in ancient times across South, Central and North America, particularly central Mexico, before being introduced to Europe via Spain and Portugal in the 16th century, from where the paprika trade expanded to Africa, Asia and ultimately central Europe.