Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) are the fruits of certain plants from the nightshade family. They are related to chili peppers, tomatoes, and breadfruit, all of which are native to Central and South America. Also called sweet peppers or capsicums, bell peppers are eaten as vegetables, either raw or cooked. Like their close relatives, the chili peppers, bell peppers are sometimes dried and powdered. In that case they are referred to as paprika. They are low in calories and exceptionally rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, making them an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Bell peppers are a great combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture. Green and purple peppers are slightly bitter in taste whereas red, yellow and orange have a sweeter and fruity taste. Today, they grew widely in many parts of the world as an important commercial crop.
| Name | Bell pepper |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Capsicum annuum |
| Native | Mexico and northern Latin America. |
| Common/English Name | African Pepper, Bell Pepper, Capsicum Pepper, Cayenne, Cayenne Pepper, Cherry Pepper, Chili, Chili Pepper, Chilli, Chilly Pepper, Chitlepin, Christmas Pepper, Cone Pepper, Green Capsicum, Green Pepper, Halapenos, Hungarian Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Long Pepper, Mississippi Sport Pepper, Numex, Ornamental Pepper, Paprika, Pimento Pepper, Pod Pepper, Red Cone Pepper, Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Wrinkled Pepper. |
| Name in Other Languages | Estonian : Harilik Parika Swedish : Paprika Afrikaans : Rissie Indonesia : Cabai Amharic : Yafranj Karya Maltese : Bżar Ikkulurit Armenian : Garmir Bghbegh Lithuanian : Paprika Austria : Paprika Turkish : Biber Hungarian : Bell Paprika Brazil : Pimenta Romanian : Ardei Kazakh : Burış Serbian : Paprika Belgium : Peper Georgian : Bulgaruli Spanish : Ají Catalan : Pebrotera Tajik : Qalamfur Croatian : Paprika Danish : Chilipeber Macedonia : Piper Swiss : Poivre D’espagne Dutch : Paprika Latvian : Dārzeņpipari Swahili : Mpilipili Esperanto : Paprika Nepal : Bhede Khursani Farsi : Paprika Philippines : Sili ( Bikol ) Galician : Pementón Bulgarian : Cherven Piper Portuguese : Colorau German : Cayennepfeffer Albanian : Specë Vietnamese : Ot India : Molar Slovencina : Paprika Iraq : Filfil Tigrinya : Gue Azeri : İstiot Japanese : Banshō Uzbek : Qalampir Breton : Pimant Dous Korean : Namcho Icelandic : Paprikuduft Thai : Prik Yuak Egypt : Felfel Achdar Laos : Mak Pet Nyai Quechuan : Uchu Finnish : Paprika Lebanese : Felfel Lelece Russian : Perets Krasnyj Arabic : Fulful Baladî Malaysia : Cabai Hebrew : Pilpel Maldive Islands : Rihamirus Greek : Pipera Norwegian : Paprika Yiddish : Paprike Chinese : Chiao-Tzu Papiamento : Promenton French : Piment Annuel Czech : Paprika Polish : Papryka Italian : Peperone Basque : Piperrautsa |
| Plant Growth Habit | Small, branched, mostly erect, annual or perennial herbaceous shrub |
| Growing Climate | Require warm temperatures |
| Soil | Prefers well structured, well drained, friable, sandy loam. It is intolerant of high salt content in the soil and frost. |
| Plant Size | 30–80cm tall |
| Root | Short or deep tap root. |
| Stem | Glabrescent |
| Leaf | Alternate, solitary or paired; petiole 4–7cm; leaf blade oblong-ovate, ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 4–13 × 1.5–4cm, glabrescent, base narrowed, margin entire and wavy, apex short acuminate or acute |
| Flower | Small, off-white, pendent. Calyx campanulate, 2–3 × 3 mm five-toothed, undulate, green. Corolla rotate, five-lobed white, 10 mm. Stamens 5, inserted, anthers bluish/purplish, 1.8–2 mm. Ovary superior, 2–3 locular with numerous ovules, style short with capitate stigma. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Berry, pericarp fleshy and firm, hollow, pendent, variously shaped, up to 15cm |
| Fruit Color | Green when young to mostly red orange, yellow, white, brown or purple when mature |
| Fruit Skin | Smooth |
| Fruit Taste | Bitter while young turning to milder and sweeter as they mature |
| Seeds | Pale yellow, discoid or reniform, 3–5 mm across. |
| Varieties/Types |
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| Major Nutrition | Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 119.8 mg (133.11%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.334 mg (25.69%) Copper, Cu 0.098 mg (10.89%) Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 11 µg (9.17%) Manganese, Mn 0.182 mg (7.91%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.085 mg (7.08%) Total dietary Fiber 2.5 g (6.58%) Iron, Fe 0.51 mg (6.38%) Potassium, K 261 mg (5.55%) Carbohydrate 6.91 g (5.32%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 cup (149 gm) | 30 K cal |