Today, the majority are found in grocery stores come from Florida, with some large-scale production scattered around California, Texas, New Jersey, and North Carolina.įortunately, they are produced on small-scale organic farms and in gardens in just about every growing region of the U.S., albeit their availability is limited to summer months. USDA records indicate that the first commercial peppers were produced in the southern United States in 1925. Because they are widely adapted to both tropical and temperate climates, they have become a staple in the gardens of America, Europe, China, Africa, and beyond. The seeds were later spread around the world by Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Their chili pepper relatives date as far back as 5000 BC when indigenous people first collected seeds from a wild variety. Wild Ancient Origins Peppers have been around in some form for thousands of years.īell peppers originated in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Bell peppers are, however, relatives of hot chile peppers which originated in the Aztec culture some 5000 years ago. The name Capsicum comes from the Greek root “kapto” which means “to swallow” or “to bite.” It was originally called a pepper when Columbus misconstrued it as a relative of black pepper ( Piper nigrum), but there is no relation. When cooking, these seeds are easy to cut around and even save for future plantings in the garden. The fruits are hollow with many tiny seeds on the membrane of the inner white walls. You may have noticed that all of these plants have similar yellow or purple star-shaped flowers with five petals, which is a key attribute of the Solanceous tribe.Ĭapsicum annuum is a small bushy pepper plant that yields large, round, mild peppers with smooth outer skins and fresh crisp flesh. Plant History Tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes are all related to bell peppers.īell peppers ( Capsicum annuum) are an annual member of the Solanaceae family along with tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes.
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