A Peck of Purple Peppers
Legend has it, while Columbus was searching for peppercorn plants, he found sweet bell peppers. He decided to call them “peppers” because peppercorns were in such great demand in Europe that he thought the name would help the veggies sell better. They weren’t the rage in 16th century Europe, but today they are one of North America’s favourite vegetables. All bell peppers (red, green, yellow, orange or purple) are high in Vitamin A and give citrus fruits a run for the money in the vitamin C category. They’re also low in calories and high in fibre. They can be stuffed and roasted, eaten raw, puréed and made into a soup or sauce. There aren’t many recipes that don’t improve with the addition of peppers.
The core of the matter
The seeds inside are edible, but they’re pretty bitter. Most recipes will ask you to discard the stem, seeds and ribs, or white parts, inside the peppers.
Stem the tide
Buy peppers with green, fresh-looking stems.
The skinny on skin
Look for blemish-free peppers with deep, vivid colors and taut skin that yields slightly to pressure. Many recipes that call for cooked peppers will be improved by roasting the peppers until the skin turns black and slides off.
Rosy red
Red peppers make up the majority of sweet bell peppers commercially grown. They contain almost double the amount of vitamin C as green peppers and are also a good source of beta carotene. There are about 20 calories in a red pepper. The pimento used to stuff green olives comes from red peppers.
Glorious green
A green pepper is simply an unripe red, yellow or orange pepper. As peppers ripen, they develop their colour, and whether it becomes red, yellow or orange depends on the variety. That’s why green peppers are cheaper; they can be harvested when they’re unripe, and they will probably last a little longer. Green peppers are high in vitamin K.
Particular purple
Yes, it’s true: there really are purple peppers. But the flesh is green, and after they’re cooked, they turn a little greyish. If you want to wow your guests, and gain the most from the extra money you had to shell out to acquire this rarity, serve purple peppers raw.
