To create the same flavor as smoked paprika using the suggestions above will be your best bet. But if you want to add some heat that can be found in hot smoked paprika, use any of the substitutes above paired with hot red pepper flakes.

There is no easy answer to where paprika comes from. While paprika is closely associated with Hungary and Hungarian cuisine, paprika peppers did not arrive in that part of the world until the mid to late 16th century. The origin of all peppers can be traced to South America, where they grew wild and were distributed throughout South and Central America, mostly by birds. Eventually, peppers were cultivated, and native traders travelling through these regions carried them across the Caribbean as cargo in dugout canoes.