There are a number of different types of peppers available, which can range in color, size and spiciness. Some common chili pepper varieties include the cayenne pepper, bell pepper, serrano pepper, poblano pepper and Thai chili pepper.
You should be thinking “Where do chili peppers come from?”
We should dig in. chili peppers were first domesticated in Mexico. To a huge number of people around the globe, chili is a delicacy. However, most people have not stopped to ask just where this spice came from. Chili is a fruit of plants which are members of the Nightshade family.
What are chile peppers related to?
The genus Capsicum is also a member of the wider Solanaceae or nightshade family and therefore Chile peppers are closely related to their genetic cousins, the tomato, potato, tobacco and eggplant.
One more query we ran across in our research was “The genus of which all peppers are a member?”.
This is what we found. the genus Capsicum contains 5 domesticated pepper species, a few semi-domesticated species and, over 30 wild pepper species. There are over 3,500 varieties of domesticated chile peppers. All peppers are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae.
What do chili peppers taste like?
Flavor: Our hot pepper list breaks down the overall basic flavor of each chili pepper, using a common glossary of terms: sweet, fruity, citrusy, tropical, smoky, earthy, crisp, floral, nutty, bright, grassy, salty, peppery (as in black peppery), and tangy. This is a simplified description to give you a starting point to considering flavor.
True peppers are something completely different. The pepper you sprinkle on your food is black pepper, and it comes from Piper nigrum, a flowering vine in the Piperaceae family. Do you prefer green or white pepper?
When we were writing we ran into the inquiry “What kind of peppers are small and thin in size?”.
Chile de Árbol peppers are small and thin Mexican peppers 2-3 inches long and less than a ½ inch wide. The name means “tree chili” in Spanish, which refers to the woody stem of the pepper. Learn more about them from Chili Pepper Madness.
What is the scientific name of chili pepper?
Also known by their scientific name, Capsicum annuum, chili peppers are a type of nightshade vegetable native to North and South America. There are many different chili pepper plant varieties, each of which differs in size, shape and spiciness. Bell peppers, for example, are typically sweet and range in color from red to green, yellow or orange.
The next thing we wanted the answer to was: why are pepper plants in the same family called capsicum?
Well, plants in the same family will have common characteristics much like plants in the same genus. The Capsicum name comes from one of two sources: the Latin word capsa, which means box and from which we get words like capsule. It may come from the way that the pepper forms a pod that encloses its seeds.
What is the scientific name of pepper?
Pepper, (genus Capsicum), genus of more than 30 species of flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), several of which are extensively cultivated for their edible, often pungent fruits.
Prehistoric remains in Peru show that peppers existed then, and they were cultivated in Central and South America in very early times. Columbus brought them to Europe in 1493, and they were quickly adopted and cultivated. In fact, it was the Europeans that gave peppers their name.
Where is black pepper grown in the world?
Vietnam, Indonesia, and India are the leading producers of black pepper which is widely used for seasoning and as a spice.