BELL PEPPERS

What Are Bell Peppers?

Part of the Capsicum genus, which also includes the gamut of chili pepper species, the bell pepper, or capsicum annuum, is larger, rounder, crunchier and milder than its small, spicy relatives.

While the bell pepper is native to Central and South America, China is the world’s largest producer and distributor of the peppers available in grocery stores today. The best time to find peppers from farmers closer to home is around summer’s peak through September.

 Some interesting facts about bell peppers:

• Peppers are native to Central and South America. Pepper seeds were later carried to Spain in 1493 and from there spread to other European and Asian countries.
• Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin C. Green peppers have twice the amount of vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits, and this powerful punch of vitamin C is an antioxidant that may be effective in preventing certain types of cancer.
• Bell peppers can be found in a rainbow of colors and can vary in flavor. The variety of the pepper plant and the stage of the ripeness determine the flavor and color of each pepper.
• The pulpy white inner cavity of the bell pepper (usually cut off and discarded) is a rich source of flavonoids and can be eaten
• Red bell peppers are simply green bell peppers that have been left on the vine to continue to ripen.
• Peppers are actually fruits because they are produced from a flowering plant and contain seeds-most people think of them as vegetables.
• Red bell peppers are sweeter than green ones because bell peppers sweeten as they ripen.
• Red bell peppers have more than twice the vitamin C of a green pepper.
• Peppers were named by Spanish explorers searching for peppercorn plants to produce black pepper.
• Bell peppers are a good source of Vitamin A.