A popular January 24 2023 Facebook post showed a screengrab of a viral tweet claiming that paprika is nothing more than “just dried and crushed red bell peppers,” describing the purported news as “really shocking”:
Google Trends data illustrated the popularity of the tweet, which was presented on Facebook in the “today i learned” or “[I was] today years old” format. During the seven-day period ending January 26 2023, searches with “Breakout” levels of popularity included “is paprika dried bell pepper,” “is paprika made from bell peppers,” “is paprika crushed up bell peppers,” and “is paprika just bell peppers?”
Online encyclopedia Brittanica.com’s entry for “Paprika” indicated that the spice was made from peppers, but did not mention “bell peppers” specifically:
paprika, [is a] spice made from the pods of Capsicum annuum, an annual shrub belonging to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and native to tropical areas of the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
C. annuum is cultivated throughout most of the world for its pods, often called chili peppers, or chilies. The species includes most of the sweet peppers and many of the pungent, strong-flavoured types. Depending on the variety, the pods may be 0.5 inch to 1 foot (12.5 mm to 0.3 m) in length, with a long, round, or conical shape, and yellow, brown, purple, or red colour. A spongy central column bears the flat, kidney-shaped seeds.
McCormick is a well-known brand to spice consumers, and it was associated with the McCormick Science Institute, or MSI. An “About MSI” page described its purpose:
The McCormick Science Institute is a research-driven organization whose mission is to support scientific research and disseminate information on the health benefits of culinary herbs and spices to all stakeholders including consumers and health professionals. The Institute is led by nutrition scientists and guided by a Scientific Advisory Council consisting of internationally-renown scientists and health professionals from leading research institutions.
McCormick Science Institute maintained an entry for “paprika,” explaining:
Paprika is made from the dried, ground, ripened fruit pods of less pungent varieties of the Capsicum annum species. It is mildly flavored and prized for its brilliant red color. It is closely related to red pepper which also derives from the Capsicum annum species. The name Capsicum is derived from the Latin/Greek word for “capsule” which refers to the shape of the fruits. Paprika goes by many names in different languages such as tian jiao (Mandarin Chinese), deshi mirch (Hindi), piment annuel/piment doux (French), fulful halou (Arabic), paprika (German, Spanish, English), and peperone (Italian)[.]
The next section (“Botany”) addressed the composition of paprika. It affirmed that paprika was “typically” composed of “dried and ground … ‘bell’ or ‘sweet’ type peppers”:
Paprika and red pepper are similar botanically. Ideal growing conditions for Capsicum annum peppers includes sunshine with warm, loamy soil, ideally between 70 to 84°F. Paprika is typically made from “bell” or “sweet” type peppers, milder varieties that contain a recessive gene that eliminates (or greatly reduces) capsaicin, the compound responsible for heat. Pepper plants are typically grown from seedlings in a nursery before being transported to the field. They produce small white flowers that are self pollinating and fruit begins to form about 5-10 days after pollination. Peppers start off as green and then grow to their mature size before ripening to a red color. Since paprika is prized for its red color, peppers are allowed to fully ripen before picking. After harvest, seeds are removed and the fruit pods are dried and ground[.]
On Twitter, two of the most visible replies featured imagery or video alluding to the composition and process of making paprika:
A viral January 23 2023 tweet claimed that “paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers,” and that the discovery “was really shocking.” The tweet’s popularity suggested that others were similarly unaware of paprika’s composition. According to the McCormack Science Institute, paprika is “typically” made from dried and ground “sweet” or “bell peppers.”
- "Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere" | Facebook
- "Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere" | Twitter
- Paprika red bell pepper | Google Trends
- Paprika | Brittanica.com
- Paprika | McCormack Science Institute
- "Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere" | Twitter
- "Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere" | Twitter