Slice the fresh chili peppers thinly. Place into a mortar and pestle along with 2 teaspoons salt. Grind and mix thoroughly with the pestle. You don’t need to form a paste, just break down the peppers slightly.

Think of capsaicin as a powerful defence mechanism plants have developed to survive. The key about capsaicin is that it does not affect all species of animals or fungi. This is a brilliant evolutionary development that makes the existence of capsaicin twice as beneficial to the plant.

If you can’t find fresh red chillies, just use the good old dried red chillies. Soak the dried chillies in warm water to rehydrate them and then grind them up. When your sauce is ready, you should see tiny pieces of chilli and minced garlic floating around. These little bits are the life of the sauce.

The ratio that works best for my recipes is for every teaspoon of paprika, I use one-fourth or one-third teaspoon of cayenne chili powder, depending on how spicy or hot I want the dish to be.

The heat of peppers is measured using the Scoville Heat Scale, which ranks the heat of a given pepper in units known as Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Bell peppers of all colors register zero SHU, meaning they're not hot at all. Jalapeños are medium, measuring 2,500 to 8,000 SHU, while extremely hot chiles like habaneros or Scotch bonnets come in at 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.

The vibrant red colour of paprika is because it contains high levels of carotene, the same pigment found most notably in, believe it or not, carrots.

Most of the best quality paprika comes from either Hungary or Spain. These countries have very different ways of making the spice. In Hungary, the peppers are commonly cured and sun dried. In Spain, the peppers are often cured over smoldering oak logs in large barns for a deep and smoky flavor.

Most countries have their own variety of chili peppers, ranging from poblano, serrano, Tabasco, jalapeno, peri-peri, habanero, cayenne and numerous others. Originating in Mexico, the red chili made its way across the world and is used in many cuisines. Many varieties may also be used fresh and green or red or pickled instead of dried and powdered.

When it comes to drying paprika peppers, there are a few methods you can choose from based on your preference and equipment available. Each method has its advantages, but using a dehydrator is generally considered the best approach, providing efficient and consistent results.

La Vera Smoked Sweet Paprika is also known as dulce. Much like its spicier cousin, this sweet paprika is made by drying freshly-harvested, ripe, red peppers in low-lying, adobe smoke houses. They are placed of smoking grills fired with slow-burning oak planks. After smoking, the paprika is milled by electrically powered stone wheels which must turn very slowly, as heat from friction adversely affects the signature color and flavor. 

Spanish paprika, or pimentón, is a celebrated spice throughout that country, with controlled production that must be monitored to meet traditional standards in how these peppers are grown and processed. Murcia, in southeastern Spain, produces paprika that is sweet and mild. Paprika produced in La Vera, found in western Spain, can be sweet, spicy, or bittersweet. The celebrated pimentón de La Vera are smoked for extra flavor. 

While paprika and cayenne have their own stories and benefits, the real differences lie in their culinary uses. In the kitchen, the difference between cayenne and paprika shows up in three ways: