Bell peppers, also known as sweet pepper or capsicum are basically peppers of less pungent varieties which are available in different colors such as yellow, red, green, purple and orange. These plump, bell shaped vegetables were cultivated more than 900 years ago in south and central america and were given the name pepper by the european colonizers of north america. These can easily grow in different types of climate. Sweet bell peppers are a great combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture. These are scientifically known as capsicum annuum and belong to the category of nightshade (solanaceae) family of plants comprising of chilli pepper, cayenne pepper, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. Green and purple peppers are slightly bitter in taste whereas red, yellow and orange have a sweeter and fruity taste. The substance ‘capsaicin’ which controls hotness in peppers is present in very small amounts in bell peppers making it less ‘hot’. Though, they are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty in the summers. The content of vitamin c and carotenoid also increases when the pepper is at the peak of its ripeness. These colorful and attractive vegetables are enjoyed all over the world in a variety of cuisines. Other names of capsicum are ‘shimla mirch‘ in hindi, ‘pedda mirappa‘ in telugu, ‘kuda milagai‘ in tamil, ‘parangi mulagu‘ in malayalam, ‘donne menasinakai‘ in kannada, ‘bhopli mirchi‘ in marathi, ‘simla marchan‘ in gujarati and ‘simla mirch‘ in bengali.

Bell peppers, also known as sweet pepper or capsicum are basically peppers of less pungent varieties which are available in different colors such as yellow, red, green, purple and orange. These plump, bell shaped vegetables were cultivated more than 900 years ago in south and central america and were given the name pepper by the european colonizers of north america. These can easily grow in different types of climate. Sweet bell peppers are a great combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture. These are scientifically known as capsicum annuum and belong to the category of nightshade (solanaceae) family of plants comprising of chilli pepper, cayenne pepper, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. Green and purple peppers are slightly bitter in taste whereas red, yellow and orange have a sweeter and fruity taste. The substance ‘capsaicin’ which controls hotness in peppers is present in very small amounts in bell peppers making it less ‘hot’. Though, they are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty in the summers. The content of vitamin c and carotenoid also increases when the pepper is at the peak of its ripeness. These colorful and attractive vegetables are enjoyed all over the world in a variety of cuisines. Other names of capsicum are ‘shimla mirch‘ in hindi, ‘pedda mirappa‘ in telugu, ‘kuda milagai‘ in tamil, ‘parangi mulagu‘ in malayalam, ‘donne menasinakai‘ in kannada, ‘bhopli mirchi‘ in marathi, ‘simla marchan‘ in gujarati and ‘simla mirch‘ in bengali.