History
The workhorse, bell peppers (aka sweet peppers) , come in a variety of colors from red, yellow, orange, green seen above, to brown, white, lavender, and dark purple. They also can come mutlicolored. Peppers in general are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Pepper seeds were imported (1493) to Spain, and spread throughout Europe and Asia.
The recent bell pepper cultivar was only developed in the 1920s, in Hungary and is the only member of Capsicum that does not produce capsaicin, so it has sweetness without heat. China produces the most bell peppers, followed by Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, and US. Farming these peppers in the US started in 1925.
Nutrition
HealthLine: Bell peppers are very high in vitamin C, and one bell pepper may provide up to 169% of the RDA. Other vitamins and minerals found in bell peppers include vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate, and potassium.
Red: 32c, 8k, 1.18p, 2.4f + 5 sugar, 2mg sodium
Orange: 31c, 7.18k, 1.18p, 2.4f + 5 sugar, 2mg sodium
Yellow: 32c, 7.6k, 1p, 1.4f + 5 sugar, 2.3mg sodium
Green: 32c, 7.6k, 1p, 1.4f + 3.6 sugar, 2.3mg sodium
Diets
[x] Flexitarian + Omnivore
[x] Vegetarian
[x] Pescatarian
[x] Vegan + Raw
[x] Gluten Free
[x] Weight Maint
[O] Keto Diet
[x] Mediterranean Diet
[O] Lectin Avoidance: peppers
[x] Oxalate Avoidance: low
[x] Purine Avoidance
Freshness
You are looking for lively color, firmness, and absence of wrinkles. The stem should be fresh looking and green. Also, and I do not know how scientific this is, they should feel a bit heavy for their size.
Prep
Wash prior to use, remove stem, seeds and internal membranes then slice or dice per recipe.
Roasting peppers: Cut a small slit near the stems (to let steam out while heating). Grill or broil until blackened, stick in a plastic bag to steam, then under running water with a colander to catch things, scrape off the burnt skin and remove the stem, seeds and core.
Best cooked
Raw they have a watery crunchiness that is great in salads and used with dips. Red, orange, and yellow are great raw as they are a bit sweet.
Cook Styles: Steamed, braised, roasted, grilled, and sauted. Can be eaten raw or just blanched. Good for all styles of cooking, although I have yet to make a soup with it.
Risks
HealthLine: When eaten in moderation, bell peppers do not have any adverse health effects. However, they may cause allergies in some people.
WebMD: Red peppers pack the most nutrition, because they’ve been on the vine longest.
Storage (1)
Length of storage depends upon the color, green can be in the fridge for up to ~3 weeks, while yellow and red up to ~2 weeks. Store uncut and unwashed in a plastic bag in the veggie drawer, once cut put in plastic bag and, from my experience, they need to be used up within a day or so. You can freeze bell peppers.
You can cook wrinkled bell peppers (not raw though cause the texture is funny). But if you see any mold or softness, toss.
Variations
The BBC reports: Believe it or not, red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers are all the same type of pepper but just at different stages of ripeness. Green peppers are unripe, red are fully ripe, with yellow and orange in between the two.
