Bell Pepper
Fleshy, sweet and highly versatile.
Pepper
"Color, sweetness and character in the world's kitchens."
ColorVersatileGlobal Cuisine
Usage Tips
If you use them raw, choose peppers that are firm, shiny and taut-skinned. Red ones are usually sweeter, while green ones feel more herbal and direct.
When roasted, peppers change completely: they lose rigidity, gain sweetness and develop a silky texture that works beautifully in salads, garnishes and sauces.
For sofritos and long aromatic bases, cut them evenly and give them time. Well-worked pepper brings depth, not just color.
"Few ingredients paint the plate so vividly while still tasting unmistakably of cooking."
Curiosities
Although often treated as a vegetable in the kitchen, pepper is botanically also a fruit.
Color changes its profile significantly: green, red and yellow are not only visual differences, they also affect sweetness, bitterness and maturity.
Paprika is made from dried and ground pepper varieties, which shows just how transformable this ingredient can be.
Value per 100g
Value per 100g
Light, fresh and colorful
31kcal
6g
1g
0g
Carbohydrates6g
Proteins1g
Fats0g
Fiber2g
Glycemic Index
15
Color with very little caloric weight
It provides few calories, plenty of water and an interesting profile of fiber and antioxidants. Its great culinary value lies in the combination of freshness, vegetal sweetness and its ability to transform through heat.
Color, texture and personality
Types of Pepper
It is one of the most recognizable pepper types thanks to its broad shape and thick flesh. It works very well roasted, stuffed, sautéed or sliced into strips for aromatic bases and side dishes. When fully ripe, its sweetness becomes especially pleasant.
Italian Pepper
Long, light and very everyday-friendly.
Narrower and lighter than bell pepper, it is widely used in frying, griddling, sandwiches, omelettes and everyday home cooking. It has a pleasing texture and a clean vegetal flavor that supports dishes without overwhelming them.
Padrón Pepper
Small, green and full of surprise.
Strongly associated with Galician cuisine, it is usually cooked whole over high heat, most often with oil and salt. Part of its charm lies in uncertainty: most are mild, but one may occasionally surprise you with unexpected heat.
Flower, fruit and ripening
From Plant to Market
Peppers need warmth, light and a certain degree of stability to develop well. The plant flowers and, after fruit set, green peppers begin to form and gradually grow in size, firmness and structure.
Ripening changes not only color but also flavor. Many varieties move from green to red, yellow or orange tones, gaining sweetness and losing part of their initial harshness. Harvest timing has a major impact on how they will later behave in the kitchen.
From traditional vegetable plots to intensive or greenhouse cultivation, peppers show very clearly how an everyday ingredient can exist across many levels of quality, texture and expression depending on variety, soil and agricultural management.
Flowering and Fruit Set
Color Change
Selective Harvest
Discover its history
From the New World to the Universal Kitchen
A journey through time discovering the roots and evolution of this ingredient.
1
American Origins
The pepper was born in the Americas and was already part of the diet of many indigenous cultures long before reaching Europe. In both its sweet and spicy forms, it was valued for its ability to bring flavor, color and personality to both humble and festive dishes.
2
The Transatlantic Journey
After the Columbian exchange, peppers crossed the Atlantic and began a rapid expansion. Their adaptability to different climates and their ease of drying, roasting or preserving meant that within only a few generations they went from being an exotic curiosity to becoming a staple in many kitchens.
3
Mediterranean, Balkans and Beyond
In southern Europe, peppers found an ideal home. Sofritos, stews, roasted vegetable dishes, ajvar, salads and aromatic bases turned them into a central ingredient. At the same time, their spicy relatives continued their own path through Asia, Africa and Latin America.
4
One Ingredient, Many Lives
Today peppers live in many different registers: they can be fresh and crisp, roasted and silky, dried and concentrated, smoked and deep. They are present in Mediterranean, Mexican, Maghrebi, Balkan, Turkish and Asian cuisines, always bringing color, vegetal sweetness or a point of tension.
The pepper was born in the Americas and was already part of the diet of many indigenous cultures long before reaching Europe. In both its sweet and spicy forms, it was valued for its ability to bring flavor, color and personality to both humble and festive dishes.
After the Columbian exchange, peppers crossed the Atlantic and began a rapid expansion. Their adaptability to different climates and their ease of drying, roasting or preserving meant that within only a few generations they went from being an exotic curiosity to becoming a staple in many kitchens.
In southern Europe, peppers found an ideal home. Sofritos, stews, roasted vegetable dishes, ajvar, salads and aromatic bases turned them into a central ingredient. At the same time, their spicy relatives continued their own path through Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Today peppers live in many different registers: they can be fresh and crisp, roasted and silky, dried and concentrated, smoked and deep. They are present in Mediterranean, Mexican, Maghrebi, Balkan, Turkish and Asian cuisines, always bringing color, vegetal sweetness or a point of tension.
