Sweet and tangy | Bell Peppers
The bell pepper – also known as capsicum or sweet pepper – is native to Mexico and the Americas and was introduced to Europe when Spanish and Portuguese explorers travelled to Latin and South America.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
They remain popular ingredients in Italian and Spanish dishes today. Though they are grown in small farms throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, the largest commercial producers of peppers are China and Mexico.
Though we are most used to seeing green peppers at the grocer, they come in a variety of colours, depending on their level of maturity. Green bell peppers have not yet had the chance to ripen while red bell peppers have fully ripened. Yellow and orange peppers fall somewhere in between the two. However, not all bell peppers start out as green and not all green peppers ripen to other colours. They can also be found in brown, black, purple or white – however, these are much rarer varieties.
Bell peppers are a wonderful combination of sweet and tangy in taste with a crunchy texture. Green, and the less popular purple peppers, also have subtle bitter notes.
None of the peppers contain capsaicin, which is the compound responsible for the hot, spicy trait of the chilli pepper.
Paprika is a dry, powdered form of the bell pepper. Although paprika powder is generally red, it can be made from any colour pepper and will end up being the same colour when dried and ground.
The sweeter red pepper contains more vitamins and nutrients than the other coloured peppers. They are an excellent source of the B vitamins and superior to citrus fruits as a source of Vitamin C when eaten raw.
Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the winter months of August and September.
Unwashed bell peppers can be stored in the fridge for 7-10 days, though are susceptible to moisture loss, particularly from the stem, therefore it is not recommended to remove the stem before storing due to loss of hydration and increasing the vegetable’s susceptibility to chilling injury.
Unripe bell peppers should be stored at room temperature to reduce the time it will take them to ripen.
Bell peppers can be frozen without being blanched first. It is recommended to freeze the peppers whole reducing exposure to the air, which will degrade both nutrient quality and flavour.
