Apart from Indian dishes, red chili powder is used in other south Asian and some far eastern Asian cuisines as well.

Culinary Uses

Color

Adding paprika to your food can also help your health. Containing capsicum and high in fibre, it can assist with digestion, breaking down foods more easily. Paprika is also high in vitamin C and is said to normalise blood pressure and improve circulation. So it’s definitely worth adding to your dishes in the winter to provide some extra warmth. As well as vitamin C, paprika also contains good levels of vitamin E, which helps the body produce red blood cells. That means it can help heal wounds. If you get a cut, sprinkle some of the powder on it and press gently with a clean cloth for a few seconds. The spice is loaded with antioxidants too, which fight cell damage, so it’s linked to helping prevent heart disease and cancer. It’s also an effective treatment against acne, rejuvenating your skin. The iron found in paprika is also said to encourage hair growth, by improving circulation to the scalp. And it can help maintain hair colour too, due to vitamin B6, which aids in the production of melanin, a pigment that gives your hair colour. But if you’re planning on using it for this reason, always test a small amount on your wrist first, just in case you have a reaction.

So, let’s focus on chili powder, or the spice blend that is used to make chili con carne, tacos, and delicious meat rubs. This is genuinely one of my favorite spices, as it alone can often be enough to flavor an entire dish.

There is no easy answer to where paprika comes from. While paprika is closely associated with Hungary and Hungarian cuisine, paprika peppers did not arrive in that part of the world until the mid to late 16th century. The origin of all peppers can be traced to South America, where they grew wild and were distributed throughout South and Central America, mostly by birds. Eventually, peppers were cultivated, and native traders travelling through these regions carried them across the Caribbean as cargo in dugout canoes.