Red Pepper


Red Pepper can describe several varieties of peppers, though most often it is used to describe hot peppers used in Mexican or Asian cooking. It can also refer to a ripened variety of bell (green) peppers, often used to make roasted red peppers.


Other names: Chilli Pepper, bell pepper, hot peppers
Translations: 赤唐辛子, Paprika, فلفل أحمر, Paprika, Pebrot vermell, Црвена паприка, Ardei rosu, Crvena paprika, Rote Paprika, Paprika, Papryka, Cabe, 고추, लाल मिर्च, Красный перец, פלפלים, Червоний перець, 辣椒, Punainen paprika, Pimiento rojo, Червен пипер

Physical Description

Bell peppers, also known as sweet peppers, are like the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world since they are beautifully shaped, glossy in appearance and come in a variety of vivid colors such as green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown and black. Despite their varied palette, all are the same plant, known scientifically as Capsicum annuum, and are members of the nighstshade family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant.

Colors: Light red to deep red depending on the variety of pepper

Tasting Notes

Flavors: sweet, hot, spicy
Mouthfeel: Crunchy when raw, Sweet, Hot
Food complements: Salads, Vegetables, Meats, Fish
Wine complements: Red wine
Beverage complements: Milk and other dairy products are known to cut the heat in the mouth if drunk while eating spicy dishes.
Substitutes: Green pepper, Orange bell pepper, Yellow bell pepper

Selecting and Buying

Buying: You can buy Red Pepper to any local and supermarkets.
Procuring: Peppers are easy to grow. They like hot dry weather.

Preparation and Use

Most of the heat in red peppers is found in the seeds and white ribs around them. To decrease the heat in fresh peppers while still retaining the flavor, only use the red meat of the pepper and discard the rest.


Cleaning: Before coring and/or cutting the pepper, wash it under running water. If the pepper has been waxed, you should also scrub it well.

Conserving and Storing

Many red peppers can be found in the spice section of the grocery store, dried and ground, such as cayenne, chili powder, red pepper flakes. Most peppers do very well being dried whole.

Unwashed sweet peppers stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator will keep for up to one week. Sweet peppers can be frozen without first being blanched. It is better to freeze them whole since there will be less exposure to air which can degrade both their nutrient content and flavor.






Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to encounter them (in the Caribbean), and called them "peppers" because of their similarity in taste with the Old World black peppers of the Piper genus.



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anna Savino's picture

when I was 8 years old I was in a kids fashion show.. they asked each girl at the end of the runway what her favorite food was. Everyone said, cakes, cookies and ice cream... my answer was red bell peppers! A foodie from a young age!