On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:55:38 -0700, wrote:

>
>Would a member of the Inner Circle (since surely, only the Enlightened
>know these things intuitively) please explain to me the difference
>between "chilli powder", "paprika", and "cayenne"?
>
I'm certain others will have answered this better than I, but here
goes. Paprika and cayenne are both sold as powders made from dried
chiles. By "chiles" I mean the fruit of one variety of capsicum or
another. In my house, I have two kinds of Spanish smoked paprika, one
is sweet and one is hot. But the hot one isn't as hot as the cayenne
powder I also have. Cayenne is very hot. Incidentally, I also have a
Hungarian paprika in my pantry that's not smoked and isn't hot,
although I'm aware of hot Hungarian paprika's existence.

Chili powder (with a final "i", not a final "e" in Texas, at least) is
a blend of ground chiles mixed with other flavoring agents like cumin,
oregano, and often salt. It is said to date from the 1880s or 90s
when DeWitt Clinton Pendery in Fort Worth began selling a pre made mix
of spices for making Texas red chili. Some people say it was Gebhardt
down in New Braunfels, TX who was the first to sell chili powder. I
don't know. I wasn't there.

Adding to the soup, of course, is the fact that scores of chiles (with
a final "e", not a final "i") can also be purchased as ground
products. Anchos, chipotles, aji amarillos, cascabels, pequins, New
Mexico reds, and so on are all commercially available. For a big list
of dried chiles for sale check : http://www.penderys.com/
--

modom

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