June 01, 2005 Edibles » Chew on This

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A Peck Of Peppers 

Some like them hot

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If you're a pepper person, you may find it baffling and annoying that the price of red bell peppers is often almost twice that of green peppers. What's the deal with that?

The brighter colored peppers command a higher cost because they have to be tended for a longer period of time than the green ones. A green pepper is actually a less mature version of a red pepper. If it's allowed to stay on the plant longer, it will turn red. You may have seen green peppers with red patches, usually called "suntans." These peppers have reached an intermediate stage. They could be considered teenagers — halfway between the immature green phase and the ripe red stage. Those of us who have also reached that ripe stage will be gratified to know that the older peppers are sweeter and more tender than the young green version. The higher cost of these peppers is also attributed to the fact that there is more spoilage as the peppers age — another similarity that's not quite so flattering.

Besides the red and green varieties, you'll see yellow, orange, purple and even white bell peppers in the stores. Most of them are imported from Holland, where they are grown in a disease- and insect-free environment inside greenhouses. Once harvested, they are flown to the US, arriving within hours of being picked.

All peppers are loaded with calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and they have more vitamin C than oranges. In fact, green peppers have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruits and red ones have triple that amount. Their antioxidant properties may be effective in preventing certain types of cancer.

Peppers are native to the Americas and were the first cultivated plant in South America, where they have been known since about 5000 BC. Columbus brought sweet peppers back to Europe after his first trip to the "new world," and over the next few hundred years, a wide variety of peppers was also introduced to the "old world." Peppers flourished in the ideal Mediterranean climate and by the 17th century they'd spread all over middle and southern Europe. On their voyages into India and east Asia, Portuguese traders helped spread the crop even further.

Sweet bell peppers get the most "shelf space" in most supermarkets, but you can find the other varieties there, too, and you might have even better luck at ethnic markets. Hot peppers are intrinsic to many ethnic cuisines like Mexican, Thai, Indian, and Szechuan or Hunan-style Chinese. The heat comes from the capsaicinoids in all hot peppers. The produce a burning sensation in the mouth by acting on the pain receptors in the mouth and throat. At higher levels, they can make your eyes water and your nose run, and they sometimes induce perspiration. The heat is measured in "Scoville" units, named after the pharmacist who devised the scale.

Those sweet bell peppers have a value of zero Scoville units. Pepperoncini, the pickled peppers often found on Italian antipasto platters, register 100-500 units. Used in Chile Rellenos, poblano peppers register 1K to 1.5K, and jalapenos rate 2.5K to 5K. Getting warmer?

Cayenne peppers, a main ingredient in Tabasco sauce, hit 30K to 50K on the heat scale, Thai peppers are 50K to 100K, and the hot granddaddy of them all is the habanero pepper. At 100K to 300K Scovilles, it'll make smoke come out of your ears. By the way, pure capsaicin has a Scoville heat unit score of 16 million.

Whether you like them hot or sweet, peppers are healthy for you. So go out and pick a peck of peppers. If you go for the habaneros, though, be sure to wear asbestos gloves.

linda.vespa@creativeloafing.com

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