Bell pepper

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For green peppercorns, see Black pepper.

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Bell pepper

Red, yellow and green pepper

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Asteridae
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Capsicum
Species:	C. annuum

Binomial name

Capsicum annuum
L.


Heat: None (SR: 0)

Pepper, sweet, green raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 20 kcal 80 kJ

Carbohydrates	4.64 g
- Sugars 2.40 g
- Dietary fiber 1.7 g
Fat	0.17 g
Protein	0.86 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.057 mg	4%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.028 mg	2%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.480 mg	3%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.099 mg	2%
Vitamin B6 0.224 mg	17%
Folate (Vit. B9) 10 μg	3%
Vitamin C 80.4 mg	134%
Calcium 10 mg	1%
Iron 0.34 mg	3%
Magnesium 10 mg	3%
Phosphorus 20 mg	3%
Potassium 175 mg	4%
Zinc 0.13 mg	1%

Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

Bell pepper is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce peppercorns which develop into fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, green and orange. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers".

1 Nomenclature
2 Varieties
3 In popular culture
4 Gallery
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Nomenclature

The term "bell pepper" is one of the many names for some fruits of the Capsicum annuum species of plants. The misleading name "pepper" (pimiento in Spanish) was given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe. At that time peppercorns were a highly prized condiment.

Today, the term "bell pepper" or "pepper" or "capsicum" is often used for any of the large bell shaped capsicum fruits, regardless of their color. In British English, the fruit is simply referred to as a "pepper", whereas in many Commonwealth of Nations countries, such as Australia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand, they are called "capsicum". Across Europe, the term "paprika", which has its roots in the word for pepper, is used—sometimes referred to by their color (e.g. "groene paprika", "gele paprika", in Dutch, which are green and yellow, respectively). Paprika also refers to the powdered spice made from the same fruit. In France it is called "poivron" or "piment." In Japan, the word ピーマン ("pîman," from the French) refers only to green bell peppers, whereas パプリカ ("papurika," from paprika) refers to bell peppers of other colors. In the United States and Canada, the fruit is often referred to simply as a "pepper" or referred to by color (e.g. "red pepper", "green pepper"), although the more specific term "bell pepper" is understood in most regions. It is also to be noted that Bell Peppers are indeed fruits, even though most treat them as vegetables.

In parts of the U.S. around southern Ohio, Northeastern Pennsylvania and northern Kentucky the term "mangoes" (or "mangos") has sometimes been used to refer to bell peppers. However, as the actual mango fruit has become more common in the region, this usage has faded.

In Russia it is commonly called болгарский перец (bolgarskiy perets), meaning Bulgarian pepper. In France, it is called poivron, with the same root as poivre (meaning black pepper). In Denmark the bell pepper is referred to as "peberfrugt", meaning pepper-fruit.

In Brazil it's commonly called Pimentão, meaning Big pepper. It's widely used in a variety of dishes, like pasta, rice and other dishes from Cuisine of Brazil.

[edit] Varieties

The color can be green, red, yellow, orange and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, and brown, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green peppers are unripe bell peppers, while the others are all ripe, with the color variation based on cultivar selection. Because they are unripe, green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet. 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.