People Apparently Still Don’t Know What Paprika Is Made From

The process is beautifully simple:

  1. Harvesting – Peppers are left on the plant until fully ripe, when they develop maximum color and sweetness.

  2. Drying – Traditionally, peppers are spread on racks and dried in the sun or in drying houses. For smoked paprika, they’re dried over smoldering oak fires.

  3. Stemming and Seeding – The stems and seeds are removed (though some commercial grades may include seeds).

  4. Grinding – The dried peppers are ground into a fine powder.

  5. Sifting – The powder is sifted to achieve a uniform texture.