Capsicum is the generic name for various plants and their pungent fruits. The country-specific names often cause confusion. These include pepperoni, chilli (Germany), pepperoni and chilli pepper (Austria) and peperoncini (Switzerland and South Tyrol). The term chilli is also used for a spice mixture originating from the USA, which is based on powder from the fruit (chilli powder) or for a hot seasoning sauce made from it (chilli sauce). Cayenne or Spanish pepper has its origins in Latin America and is obtained from dried fruits of the cayenne chilli variety; it therefore also has nothing to do with pepper. Many of the names suggest pepper, which is why paprika is often confused with pepper. However, these are two different spice families. Paprika contains capsaicin, while the "real" pepper contains piperine.
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