Spice
Chilli
Chilli (chili pepper) covers the hot Capsicum fruits used fresh, dried, smoked, flaked, or powdered. Heat, fruitiness, and smoke define types from mild paprika and ancho to fierce bird's eye, habanero, and Scotch bonnet. Paprika and many dried chile powders are culinary forms of the same genus—sweet, smoked (pimentón), and hot paprikas are varieties of dried chilli seasoning rather than separate plants. Fresh and dried forms behave differently in the pan.
Also known as: Chile, Paprika, Pimentón, Mirch, Gochu, Chilli
Explore further
Breeds, cuts & preparations
Variety
Source
Provenance
Preparation
CommonCharacteristic
History
Capsicum chillies were domesticated in the Americas long before European contact.
Columbian exchange spread chillies worldwide, transforming Asian, African, and European spice cookery.
Hungarian paprika traditions developed refined sweet and hot dried pepper powders.
Global dried chile, hot sauce, and paprika industries standardised heat types for export markets.