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26th February 2026
01:42pm GMT
Paprika is a spice that most of us have stowed away in a kitchen cupboard, and it has grown in popularity over the last few years thanks to it being a common inclusion in many chicken and halloumi recipes on TikTok.
Recently, the popular spice became the subject of a lot of discussion on Twitter, after someone revealed what it's actually made from.
A user by the name of @simsimmaaz's blew a lot of people's mind when she posted that paprika is made from a process of drying and crushing red bell peppers.
The idea of a "paprika tree" had never crossed our minds either, but we never would have guessed that one of our favourite spices originated from the humble bell pepper.
The tweet quickly racked up over 170K likes and 15.5K retweets, showing that the majority of people were unaware of the foodie fact.
The spice is most synonymous with Spanish, Mexican and Hungarian cuisine, and is the national spice of the latter.
Initially, it was used for ornamental purposes and in medicines and it's packed with a plethora of essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.
The spice is high in vitamin A, vitamin B1 (Thiamin), vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), vitamin B3 (Niacin), vitamin C, and vitamin D.
It also contains important minerals such as Calcium, Iron and Magnesium.
Red paprika was brought to Spain by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century and belongs to the same family as that of potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants.
As if it didn't already have enough health benefits, the spice contains carotenoid, which is a powerful antioxidant and is responsible for its rich red color.
The post led to a lot of discourse in the comments section, with some people opening up about other foods they misjudged.
One user wrote: "You’re not as bad as me who didn’t realize Guacamole is just Avocados. I always thought it tasted familiar."
Another person admitted: "I also thought there was a curry tree and that allspice was a combination of spices."
One other user remarkably pointed out that there has been a giveaway all along hidden in other European languages.
Twitter user @jordgubbebaby wrote: "It's funny cause in German and other European languages bell peppers are literally called paprika."
