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Sweet paprika is the most common and available type, at least in North American supermarket spice aisles. If a recipe, or a spice bottle, simply says paprika without specifying which kind, it refers to the sweet kind. Sweet paprika has a very mild, sweet flavor and imparts a reddish hue to whatever it's sprinkled on or mixed into.

When Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492, he was the first European to have an encounter with any sort of chile pepper plant. He brought the ancestor of all paprika back with him to Europe and specifically to his patrons, the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The king and queen did not care for their fiery heat and sent them to a monastery to be studied. These monks sent them further along across Spain and Portugal. From there, chile peppers made their way across Europe. Some peppers stayed spicy, like those in Calabria, but other European cultures experimented with their breeding and created the sweet and flavorful varieties of peppers that give us paprika today. 

Yes, paprika and paprika powder generally refer to the same thing. Paprika is a spice made from grinding dried red fruits of the Capsicum annuum family, such as bell peppers or chili peppers, into a fine powder. This powder is commonly known as paprika and is used to add flavor, color, and sometimes heat to a wide variety of dishes.

Paprika is known for its smoky and slightly bitter flavor, with a spicy kick that ranges from mild to hot. The level of spiciness depends on the type of paprika used, with Hungarian paprika being the spiciest and Spanish paprika being the mildest. The smoky flavor comes from the way the peppers are dried and smoked before being ground into powder. Paprika is commonly used in Hungarian, Spanish, and Moroccan cuisine, and is a key ingredient in dishes such as goulash, paella, and tagines.