Bell peppers are sweet varieties of the fruit of the plant, Capsicum annuum, a member of the Solanaceae family (which also includes the tomato, the eggplant, and the potato). While it is the same species as the one that produces chile peppers, bell peppers contain little to no capsicum, the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat. Unripe bell peppers are green, while ripe ones may be green, yellow, red, orange, white, purple, blue or brown.

Bell peppers are native to South America and date back to 5000 B.C. Spanish and Portuguese explorers brought bell peppers to Europe and other parts of the world. In dried and powdered form, bell peppers are made into paprika.

1. Spanish: pimiento
2. Portuguese: pimentão
3. Russian: bolgarskiy perets
4. Danish: peberfrugt
5. French: poivron

• University of Illinois: Bell Pepper Health Info

• Iowa State University: Bell Pepper Health Info

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