The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika (pimentón in Spain, colorau in Portugal, chiltoma in Nicaragua, but these "paprika's" are not made exclusively from bell peppers, other varieties are used, and there are several hot and sweet "paprikas") is principally used to season and color rice’s, stews, and soups, such as goulash. In Spain, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Portugal, paprika is also used in the preparation of sausages as an ingredient that is mixed with meats and other spices.
In India, a similar powdered spice comes from a fruit locally called 'deghi mirchi', which is grown widely and takes on a slightly different flavor, depending on local soil and climatic conditions. The hottest paprika's are not the bright red ones, but rather the palest red and light brown colored ones.