All About Peppers
Author: Hillary Marshak

Where did peppers come from?

One of the most common genuses of peppers, known as the
capsicum, is thought to have been in existence millions of years
ago in present-day Bolivia, according to the Chicago Botanic
Garden's Information and Resources. But, the first known
cultivation of peppers happened in Mexico and Central, as well
as South America 10,000 years ago. The probable spread of these
crops from Bolivia to these areas is attributed to birds. The
capsicums existed mainly in the Americas until about 1600.
Christopher Columbus' voyages were helpful in spreading capsicum
peppers throughout the world.

The original peppers were tiny and round, unlike most of
today's peppers which are long and larger.

What can I do with peppers?

Most commonly, peppers have been used to spice up generally
boring foods like rice or corn. Through the years though, people
have come up with a whole slew of uses for peppers from making
pepper jelly, to using ornamental peppers for garlands. Here's a
list of the most interesting as well as some of the more common
uses for peppers:

Pickled Peppers
Pepper Jelly - Dried Apricot Jalapeno Jelly
Roasted Peppers
Adding Peppers to pasta dishes
Hot Sauce
Pepper Garlands/Decorations
Using peppers in stirfry
Pepper vinegar
Pepper spray (animal deterrent for plants)

What different types of peppers are there?

There all sorts of classifications for peppers. There is the
scientific classification method that uses the genus and species
name: The most commonly known and cultivated genus of peppers is
the capsicum, whereas the five most common species of peppers
(all within the capsicum category) include: chinense,
frutescens, pubescens, annum, and baccatum. All of these types
of peppers are also labelled chillies.

There is the usage method which categories various peppers into
hot, sweet, or ornamental. And then, there is the
location-classified method that is what gives some peppers its
actual name.

Here's a basic list of some of the varieties of the mentioned
species of peppers you might see in your local grocery stores:

Bell pepper
Anaheim pepper
Fresno
Poblano
Habanero
Cubanelle
Chipotle
Jalapeno
Serrano
Mariachi

Aside from the different colored bell peppers used in stirfry,
many of these other peppers are considered hot peppers.

How can you tell how hot a pepper is?

The range of spiciness for peppers is measured in scoville
units. Wilbur Scoville developed a scale to help determine this
very issue and measure pepper pungency in 1912. The higher the
number of scoville units, the hotter the pepper. Here's a basic
Scoville Scale. that shows habaneros trumping chipotles and
jalapenos as the most commonly known hottest pepper.

Health Effects

Regular pepper consumption is thought to have both good and bad
effects on one's health. One of the most clear effects of eating
peppers is what it does for congestion. Eating peppers,
especially those hot ones, will help clear up your nasal
passages in no times (as will most spicy foods!)

According to a University study, consuming peppers regularly
can help the body control its amount of insulin, which would be
very beneficial for diabetics. Other studies show though that
pepper digestion can increase the risks of stomach cancer, but
the definite answer remains unclear. Research has also been
linking peppers to helping stop the spread of prostrate cancer
in some men.

Pepper Recipes (see Recipe4Living.com for the following:)
Pepper Sauce
Basic Salsa
Salsa Cruda
Crowd Pleasing Chili
Roast Beef and Red Pepper Sandwiches
Impossibly Easy Roasted Red Peppers and Feta Cheese Pie
Tangy Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Stuffed Peppers
Pepper Herb Grilling Rub

Sources:
Chicago Botanic Gardens
The Scoville Scale
TheChilliKing.com


About The Author: Hillary Marshak is a writer and editor for
http://Recipe4Living.com, an up and coming recipe sharing
Website. For more articles like this, or for a large collection
of recipes, visit the site at http://www.Recipe4Living.com.