This is my favorite homemade chili powder recipe.  Many ask why I make my own chili powder, and the reason is simple, has a lot more flavor and you control the heat factor, plus it is simple to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, whole
• 4 dried ancho chilies
• 4 dried guajillo chilies
• 6 dried de arbol chilies
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano, ground

In a small skillet, toast the cumin seeds over medium-high heat until browned.  This should take a good 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove the seeds from the heat and let cool a bit.  Using a coffee grinder (used for spices only) or food processor, grind them finely.  Place the finely ground cumin into a bowl.

In a dry skillet, toast the dried chilies a few at a time to release their aroma, be careful not to do it too long as they may become bitter.  Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Then break them up into smaller chunks and process them in a coffee grinder (used for spices only) or food processor.  Making sure they are finely ground.  Add the ground dried chilies in the bowl with the cumin.  Add in the oregano and granulated garlic to the bowl and mix well.

You can mix and match the dried peppers you want to use or that you can find in your area, this is nice since you can create a chili powder that is more geared to your heat level and taste buds.

Paprika is made from dried and ground chile peppers of the capsicum annuum family, which originated in Mexico.  Christopher Columbus originally brought the chile to Europe.

Around the year 1560, the peppers reached the Balkans where they were called peperke or paparka, and soon migrated to Hungary, which is now known for its paprika.  Hungary is the most well-known makes of sweet paprika.

Paprika did not pick up popularity in the Western kitchens till the mid-1900s.  Spain, South America, India, California, and regions in the Mediterranean have become major produces of paprika.

Paprika over the years has been mostly used as a coloring agent, but is also know for it's flavor when used in large quantities, specially with meats.

Paprika has a couple health benefits, since it has a very high amount of vitamin C, specially the ones that are dried naturally in the sun.  Paprika can help normalize blood pressure and improve circulation.

Paprika created in the United States is a sweet, dried, red powder made from any type of Capsicum annuum pepper that is non-pungent.

Sweet Hungarian paprika is considered the best and is very pungent and is a slightly different variety of peppers that make it unique.

Other parts of the world make paprika that contains a varying degree of heat and color.

History

Cumin seed has a history that dates back more then 5000 years and originated from Egypt.  In Egypt it was not only used a a culinary spice, but also was used as an ingredient to mummify pharaohs.  Cumin has also been dated back in history to all over the Middle East, India, China, and other Mediterranean countries.  It has played an important role through out a lot of cultures, food, and medicine.  It actually was mentioned in the Bible as a currency to pay tithes to priests.  Greeks and Romans highly honored cumin in the kitchen due to  its peppery flavor and was a good replacement for black pepper.  Black pepper was a lot more expensive back then and hard to come by.  In Arabic traditions a cumin paste was created with the belief it had aphrodisiac properties.  They would combine ground cumin, pepper, and honey in this paste.  It is still a very popular spice in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cuisines.

General Properties of Cumin

The cumin seed is oblong in shape, ridged, and yellow-brown in color and looks a lot like the caraway seed.  These two are actual both in the same plant family, Ubelliferae.  The taste of cumin is nutty and peppery and adds a good kick when adding to chili and other Mexican dishes.

Health Benefits

Cumin does more the adds taste to food.  Due to the amount of iron in cumin it is a good source for energy and keeping the immune system healthy.  Cumin has also been noted for the benefits to the digestive system and research has show that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, which is for proper digestion.  In studies with laboratory animals, cumin was proven to protect them from growing stomach and liver tumors, thus having a cancer-protective effect.