While bell peppers may not be spicy, it doesn't make them any less pleasing than hot chilies. In fact, many of you may already be eating bell peppers in their dried, ground form, or as paprika. Yes, that deep red spice in your cupboard called paprika is in fact made from red bell peppers. Use fresh bell peppers or paprika just like you would spicy chilies. A fantastic thing to do with bell peppers is to combine them with hot chilies, which will both tone down the heat and add a new layer of flavor. The possibilities are truly endless.
Paprika is a spice made from dried red peppers that are ground into a powder. Depending on what type of paprika it is, it'll be made from a different variety of red pepper. It has a sweet, pungent, earthy, and somewhat fruity flavor, and varying levels of heat, ranging from the most common very-mild type to the less popular pretty-hot. Good paprika should have a pronounced aroma that you'll notice when you take a whiff from the jar, and it needs to be thrown out after six months as it will lose its potency over time.