What Is the Difference Between Capsicum & Sweet Pepper?
Peppers have long been popular crops. Scientists have found peppers in prehistoric Peruvian sites in Central and South America. The Europeans cultivated many varieties of peppers after Columbus brought them back to Europe from the West Indies in 1493. The mild sweet red peppers in Hungarian goulash, the mix of red and green bell peppers in French ratatouille, and the spicy poblano peppers in Mexican chili rellanos all share the same family tree. Does this Spark an idea?
-
The Pepper Family
-
Solanaceae, or the nightshade family, is the scientific name for a wide variety of herbs, vegetables, trees and vines, including the deadly belladonna and Jimson weed, tomatoes and potatoes, tobacco, and all types of peppers. All the plants in the Solanaceae family have similar features, including alternate leaves, growing above and below each other and not directly across from each other; bisexual flowers, having both the male stamen and the female pistil; and fruit that is a berry or capsule. All peppers belong to this family.
The Capsicum Genus
-
Within the solanaceae family, peppers belong to the genus called Capsicum annuum. Pronounced "KAP-sih-kuhm," capsicum contains hundreds of varieties of peppers, including both chiles and sweet peppers. Peppers are commonly divided into hot and sweet types, but these are not scientific distinctions.
-
Capsaicin
-
Trained food testers taste and rate the amount of the chemical capsaicin in each pepper in accordance to the Scoville Heat Unit test, a method that is widely used because it is inexpensive and fairly accurate. According the Old Things Forgotten website, the orange habanero, measuring 210,000 Scoville units is the hottest pepper, with jalapenos measuring 25,000 units, cayenne at 8,000 units, serranos at 4,000 units and bell peppers with 0 units.
Sweet Peppers
-
Sweet peppers range in color from the less mature and somewhat bitter green peppers to vine-ripened yellow and red peppers. Because the red and yellow peppers stay on the vine longer, they develop a sweeter flavor than green peppers. Sweet peppers contain high amounts of vitamin C, fair amounts of vitamin A and small amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin, according to Sharon and Ron Herbst, authors of "The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion.
Chile Peppers
-
The word chile is simply the Mexican word for pepper. According to the National Gardening Association, Mexicans added descriptive words along with the word chile to distinguish one pepper from another, such as chile dulce for sweet pepper and chile jalapeno for the jalapeno pepper. The word came to acquire meanings, and spellings, of its own, leading ultimately to the understanding that any pepper called chile, or chili, is bound to be more spicy than one called sweet.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
