Paprika is native to Central America. It is an annual plant that belongs to the Solanaceae family, Capsicum genus, and Annuum species, and has six subspecies. Greek in origin, the term paprika is used across entire Europe today as the universal name for all peppers.
Europeans refer to all sweet peppers as paprika, whereas Koreans differentiate between paprika and “piments” (capsicums). Piment is the French word for sweet pepper (paprika).
Koreans call bell-type peppers (sweet pepper) with no particular spiciness as piment (capsicum). In English, paprika can be called sweet pepper or bell pepper, whereas the Japanese call paprika by its French name (piment). Paprika comes in a variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, purple, and white. The most popularly produced color is red, which accounts for approximately 40% of all paprika harvested every year.
Paprika contains carotenoid-based pigments such as capsanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin. It is an alkaline-strong food that is rich in vitamins A, B1, and C with little spiciness.Most paprika are very sweet, and are used in various dishes, salads, or in meat-based dishes as a spice.