π± The spirit of the bell pepper is rich, and this red one has some history! The earliest fossil traces of the pepper so far are from southwestern Ecuador, where families grew their own peppers about 6,100 years ago. The word pepper comes from the Greek word pipari (pee-PAIR-ree) which means the black spice...but a bell pepper is green, or red or orange. π«π
π± In spite of sharing the same name, our table pepper and the sweet and hot peppers we grow are not related. Our red pepper friend here belongs to the species Capsicum. Capsicum annuum, one group of the Capsicum species, accounts for most of the varieties grown in this country. Exceptions include the Tabasco and Habanero peppers, which belong to other species. πΆοΈπΏ
π± FRESH FACTS: A green bell pepper is picked before it ripens. If left on the plant to ripen, a green pepper becomes a yellow or orange pepper, and when left longer, it eventually becomes a red pepper. πππ§‘β€οΈ