Paprika is one of those spices almost everyone has in their kitchen, but few people actually stop to wonder what it’s made of. For many, it’s just the red powder you sprinkle on deviled eggs, stews, or roasted meats. But behind that bright color lies a very simple truth.

Paprika is made from dried and ground red peppers. These peppers are typically sweet varieties of Capsicum annuum, though the exact type can vary depending on the region. Once harvested, the peppers are dried, sometimes smoked, and then finely ground into the familiar red spice we know as paprika.

What makes paprika interesting is how versatile it is. Depending on the peppers used, paprika can range from sweet and mild to smoky and robust, or even spicy and hot. Hungarian and Spanish cuisines, for example, are famous for their different paprika varieties — from sweet Hungarian paprika that flavors goulash, to smoky Spanish pimentón that adds depth to paella.

So next time you sprinkle paprika on your food, you’ll know it isn’t some mysterious spice blend. It’s simply peppers — transformed through drying and grinding into the colorful, flavorful seasoning we all recognize.