Paprika Comes From This Vegetable — And Here's Why It Isn't Always Spicy

You're just as likely to spy paprika covering deviled eggs as you are to find it packed into all manner of dry rubs, and even pepping up a cocktail or two. Its versatility is why paprika is one of 13 seasonings every kitchen should have, but there are also several varieties. What's generally considered "regular" and hot paprika are among the more common types you find. While they're both derived from peppers, regular and hot paprika have disparate flavors because they're from two different kinds of peppers.

Your everyday, unadorned paprika is made from red bell peppers. Bell peppers are mild, even somewhat sweet, and so is paprika. The deceptively fiery-looking red bell peppers also clock in at a scant zero on the Scoville scale, which measures the capsaicin that adds heat to various foodstuffs. No capsaicin means no heat, but do you know what has more capsaicin? The cayennes your hot paprika is likely to include. Should you have to choose just one, all but the most avowed heat-seekers should probably go with regular, sweetish paprika. It's just easier to add more capsaicin than it is to take away.

A dream spice rack would be replete with every riff on every seasoning ever invented, including regular, hot, and the as-yet-unmentioned and also very versatile smoked paprika, but most homes only have room for a select number of flavor enhancers. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to adapt regular paprika to a recipe's hotter needs.

First, don't fear the "sweetness" commonly attributed to middle-of-the-road paprika; it's not at all cloying or confectionary. Plenty of folks find said sweetness if they're looking, but nobody's ever mistaken the stuff for a particularly colorful powdered sugar. "Sweet," in this case, is more of a way to delineate "not hot."

So, start by sifting some of the cayenne pepper you might already have on hand in with the regular paprika. This approximates hot paprika as convincingly as anything. Chili powder also gets close, but it has notes of garlic, cumin, or even more (marginally different) paprika. For those still growing their spice collections, even the red chili flakes that came with your last pizza delivery can give regular paprika more of a kick.