Description Botany, History, Types of peppers
Peppers are the fruits of Capsicum annuum, a plant (or rather, a group of botanical varieties) belonging to the family of Solanaceae.
ATTENTION! From peppers it is possible to obtain different spices; the best known are the paprika and the chilli powder or ground. Although they can be commonly used as synonyms, chilli powder / ground and paprika are spices obtained from peppers BUT absolutely different from each other; the chili powder is strongly spicy and its potency depends on the variety of capsicum dried, which is entirely pulverized / ground (with placenta and seeds); on the contrary, paprika is obtained by "drying and grinding the pulp deprived of both the placenta and the seeds; therefore the paprika is NOT absolutely spicy (the reader should not be fooled by the various types of paprika on the market; even the strong paprika" "is not even remotely resembling powdered / ground chili).
Peppers were imported from South-Central America (Brazil) to Europe by the Spaniards during the first half of the 16th century AD. In Europe, they were initially known as the "Brazilian pepper". Today, peppers are widely used. a little around the world and become part of many local culinary traditions; also in Italy, both in the north and in the south, peppers play a fundamental role since, by virtue of their marked botanical heterogeneity, they adapt to preparations and packaging methods that are also very different from each other.
Peppers can be classified according to spiciness (spicy and sweet) and shape (ribbed, horn and flattened); the most common on our national territory are: square of Carmagnola, square of Asti, square of Nocera, heart-shaped of Capriglio, thin Cornetto di Pontecorvo and the "uncinate of Senise. But they are not the only ones ...
Types of peppers most consumed in Italy:
- Sweet peppers:
- Square peppers: yellow or red from Nocera, yellow or red from Asti, red or yellow Braidese, California Wonder, Yolo Wonder, Topepo or tomato pepper
- Horn peppers: Corno di toro, long Marconi, long Chiasso, Spanish bull, Senise IGP peppers, verticus
- Elongated peppers: long and sweet thin red pepper, cigarette from Bergamo, long from Nocera
- Spicy peppers:
- Horn peppers: Thin and long chilli from Cajenna
- Square peppers: dwarf square of Asti, small square of Veneto, small of Florence, Pimento.
Grow the peppers
As anticipated, peppers are fruits grown practically all over the globe; in Italy their production is slowly declining, but at home it is still possible to successfully grow excellent peppers and chillies. Let's start by specifying that the pepper can be obtained after sowing, in a protected seedbed (month of March), or by burying the roots of the novice plant (recommended for beginners - month of May); it is not a particularly difficult production, it is necessary to make sure that the peppers do not get sick (mold or virus) and that they do not remain infested with parasites (bedbugs, aphids, snails, etc.). Watering is daily and varies according to the atmospheric temperature. Harvesting is carried out as early as the last week of July or the first of August, when the peppers are still green (ideal for keeping in jars); on the contrary, to eat them raw or cooked but ripe it is necessary to wait for them to acquire the typical yellow or red pigment. The peppers that finish ripening on the plant are destined for the production of paprika or dried chilli.
Nutritional characteristics
Peppers are fruits that belong to the 7th group of foods; they are characterized by a modest energy intake coming mainly from the fructose content, while lipids and proteins are almost marginal. Peppers are the foods that, when eaten raw, contain the greatest quantities of vitamin C (ascorbic acid); moreover, not to be neglected are also: the intake of water, that of dietary fiber and the pool of mineral salts (especially potassium). Peppers are also an excellent source of beta-carotene and other carotenoids; in general, the more red they are, the more beta-carotene and vitamin C they contain (a ripe red pepper can contain, for the same weight, up to 4/5 times more vitamin C than an "orange). Very important, as indeed happens a little "for all vegetables, the environment in which they are grown; the ideal conditions to maximize the beta-carotene content seem to be those in which the temperature remains constant around 20 ° C. Just like another famous carotenoid with strong antioxidant properties , lycopene, even beta-carotene is better absorbed in the context of a dish rich in lipids; adding a tablespoon of oil while cooking can therefore improve the availability of this precious nutrient for the body.
To preserve the vitamin C contained in peppers as much as possible, the ideal would be to consume them raw; however, to improve the digestibility of the vegetable and the availability of carotenoids, we recommend a sober steaming or cooking in a pan over a not too high flame.
VideoRecipe - Peperonata
Stewed peppers
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Nutritional values
Peppers are also known to be "hard to digest" foods; in reality this statement is only partially acceptable. What is indigestible is the fibrous complex that covers the pulp, that is the transparent film commonly (and improperly) called "skin". After cooking, eliminating it, the peppers will not be less digestible than any other vegetable: Generally green peppers are less sweet and more difficult to digest, even without skin, while red and yellow peppers boast greater sweetness and digestibility.
Baked, stuffed, grilled, sautéed or in salads: peppers are suitable for all uses in the kitchen; they are also used for soups, sauces, purées and to dress pasta. Discover the recipes of MypersonaltrainerTv based on peppers
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