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Capsicum () is a genus of in the Solanum family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their edible fruit, which are generally known as " peppers" or "capsicum". Chili peppers grow on five species of Capsicum. Bell peppers and some chili peppers are Capsicum annuum, making it the most cultivated species in the genus.
The fruit (botanically a berry) of Capsicum plants has a variety of names depending on place and type. The more piquant varieties are called , or simply chilis. The large, mild form is called bell pepper, or is named by color ( green pepper, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, etc.) in North America. In South Africa and some other countries, it is called sweet pepper. The name is simply pepper in the United Kingdom and Ireland. OxfordDictionaries.com,
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> s.v. The name capsicum is used in Australia, India, Malaysia, and New Zealand.
A 2020 study using ribosomal DNA provided the following phylogenetic tree. It can be seen that in two of the clades, the species C. frutescens is intermingled with C. eximium in one subclade and C. chinense in another subclade; and that C. chacoense is intermingled with C. baccatum.
The plants will tolerate (but do not like) temperatures down to and they are sensitive to cold. For flowering, Capsicum is a non-photoperiod-sensitive crop. (2025). 9781466507876, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC (Version date:20131106). ISBN 9781466507876 The flowers can Self-pollination. However, at extremely high temperature, , pollen loses viability, and flowers are much less likely to result in fruit.
Many varieties of the same species can be used in many different ways; for example, Capsicum annuum includes the "bell pepper" variety, which is sold in both its immature green state and in its red, yellow, or orange ripe state. This same species has other varieties, as well, such as the Anaheim pepper chiles often used for stuffing, the dried Poblano (before being dried it is called a poblano) chile used to make chili powder, the mild-to-hot, ripe jalapeno used to make smoked jalapeno, known as chipotle.
Peru is thought to be the country with the highest Agriculture Capsicum diversity since varieties of all five domesticates are commonly sold in markets in contrast to other countries. Bolivia is considered to be the country where the largest Biodiversity of wild Capsicum peppers are consumed. Bolivian consumers distinguish two basic forms: , species with small round fruits including Capsicum eximium, C. cardenasii, C. eshbaughii, and C. caballeroi landraces; and arivivis, with small elongated fruits including C. baccatum var. baccatum and C. chacoense varieties.
The amount of capsaicin is measured in Scoville scale (SHU) and this value varies significantly among Capsicum varieties. For example, a typical Bell pepper has a value of zero SHU and a Jalapeño has a value of 4000–8000 SHU. In 2017, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the Carolina Reaper as the world's hottest pepper at 1,641,183 SHU, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina, United States. In 2023, the Guinness Book of Records recognized Pepper X as the world's hottest pepper.
According to Adepoju et al. (2021), the most commonly occurring Capsicum cultivars in Nigeria (and West Africa) are: C. fructescens var. fructescens L.; C. fructescens var. baccatum (L.) Irish; C. annuum var annuum L; C. annuum var. grossum (L.) Sendtn. and C. chinense Jacq.
Several breeding programs are being conducted by corporations and universities. In the United States, New Mexico State University has released several varieties in the last few years. Cornell University has worked to develop regionally adapted varieties that work better in cooler, damper climates. Other universities such as UC Davis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oregon State University have smaller breeding programs. Many vegetable seed companies breed different types of peppers as well.
Capsaicin is present in large quantities in the placental tissue (which holds the ), the internal membranes, and to a lesser extent, the other fleshy parts of the fruits of plants in this genus. The seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin, although the highest concentration of capsaicin can be found in the white pith around the seeds. Most of the capsaicin in a pungent (hot) pepper is concentrated in blisters on the epidermis of the interior ribs (septa) that divide the chambers, or , of the fruit to which the seeds are attached.
A study on capsaicin production in fruits of C. chinense showed that are produced only in the epidermal cells of the interlocular septa of pungent fruits, that blister formation only occurs as a result of capsaicinoid accumulation, and that pungency and blister formation are controlled by a single locus, Pun1, for which there exist at least two recessive alleles that result in non-pungency of C. chinense fruits.
The amount of capsaicin per fruit is highly variable, depending on genetics and the environment. The most recognized Capsicum without capsaicin is the bell pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, which has a zero rating on the Scoville scale. The lack of capsaicin in bell peppers is due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin and, consequently, the hot taste usually associated with the rest of the genus Capsicum. There are also other peppers without capsaicin, mostly within the Capsicum annuum species, such as the cultivars Giant Marconi, Yummy Sweets, Jimmy Nardello, and Italian Frying peppers ().
Chili peppers are important in the medicine of Indigenous peoples, and capsaicin is used in modern medicine mainly in topical medications as a circulatory stimulant and analgesic. In more recent times, an aerosol extract of capsaicin, known as capsicum or pepper spray, has become used by law enforcement as a nonlethal means of incapacitating a person, and in a more widely dispersed form for riot control, or by individuals for personal defense. Capsaicin in vegetable oils or horticultural products can be used in gardening as a natural insecticide.
They are frequently used both chopped and raw in salads, or cooked in stir-fries or other mixed dishes. They can be sliced into strips and fried, roasted whole or in pieces, or chopped and incorporated into salsas or other sauces, of which they are often a main ingredient.
They can be preserved in the form of a jam, or by drying, pickling, or freezing. Dried Capsicum may be reconstituted whole, or processed into flakes or powders. Pickled or marinated Capsicum are frequently added to sandwiches or salads. Frozen Capsicum are used in stews, soups, and salsas. Extracts can be made and incorporated into hot sauces.
The Spanish conquistadores soon became aware of their culinary properties, and brought them back to Europe, together with cocoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tobacco, maize, beans, and turkeys. They also brought it to the Spanish Philippines colonies, whence it spread to Asia. The Portuguese brought them to their African and Asiatic possessions such as India. All varieties were appreciated but the hot ones were particularly appreciated, because they could enliven an otherwise monotonous diet during times of dietary restriction, such as during religious observances.
Spanish cuisine soon benefited from the discovery of chiles in the New World, and it would become very difficult to untangle Spanish cooking from chiles. Ground chiles, or paprika, hot or otherwise, are a key ingredient in chorizo, which is then called picante (if hot chile is added) or dulce (if otherwise). Paprika is an important ingredient in rice dishes, and plays a definitive role in squid Galician style ( polbo á feira). Chopped chiles are used in fish or lamb dishes such as ajoarriero or chilindrón. Pisto is a vegetarian stew with chilies and zucchini as main ingredients. They can also be added, finely chopped, to gazpacho as a garnish. In some regions, bacon is salted and dusted in paprika for preservation. Cheese can also be rubbed with paprika to lend it flavor and colour. Dried round chiles called ñoras are used for arroz a banda.
After being introduced by the Portuguese, chile peppers saw widespread adoption throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia, especially in India, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Korea. Several new were developed in these countries, and their use in combination with (or as a substitute for) existing 'hot' culinary spices such as black pepper and Sichuan pepper spread rapidly, giving rise to the modern forms a number of staple dishes such as Channa masala, Tom yum, Laziji, and Kimchi. This in turn influenced Anglo-Indian and American Chinese cuisine, most notably with the development of British and American forms of curry powder (based on Indian spice preparations such as garam masala), and dishes such as General Tso's chicken and chicken tikka masala.
According to Richard Pankhurst, C. frutescens (known as berbere) was so important to the national cuisine of Ethiopia, at least as early as the 19th century, "that it was cultivated extensively in the warmer areas wherever the soil was suitable." Although it was grown in every province, barbaré was especially extensive in Yejju, "which supplied much of Shewa, as well as other neighbouring provinces." He mentions the upper Golima River valley as being almost entirely devoted to the cultivation of this plant, where it was harvested year-round.
In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the capsicum to be Britain's fourth-favourite culinary vegetable.
In Hungary, sweet yellow capsicum – along with tomatoes – is the main ingredient of lecsó.
In Bulgaria, South Serbia, and North Macedonia, capsicum are very popular, too. They can be eaten in salads, like shopska salata; fried and then covered with a dip of tomato paste, onions, garlic, and parsley; or stuffed with a variety of products, such as minced meat and rice, beans, or cottage cheese and eggs. Capsicum are the main ingredient in the traditional tomato and capsicum dip lyutenitsa and ajvar. They are in the base of different kinds of pickled vegetables dishes, turshiya.
Capsicum is also used widely in Italian cuisine, and the hot species are used all around the southern part of Italy as a common spice (sometimes served with olive oil). Capsicums are used in many dishes; they can be cooked by themselves in a variety of ways (roasted, fried, deep-fried) and are a fundamental ingredient for some delicatessen specialities, such as nduja.
Capsicums are also used extensively in Sri Lanka cuisine as side dishes.
The Maya peoples and Aztec people of Mesoamerica used Capsicum fruit in cocoa drinks as a flavouring.
In New Mexico, there is a Capsicum annuum cultivar group called the New Mexico chile which is a mainstay of the state's New Mexican cuisine.
In Australia, New Zealand and Indian English, heatless varieties are called "capsicums", while hot ones are called "chilli"/"chillies" (double L). The term "bell peppers" is never used, although in Australia C. annuum and other varieties which have a bell shape and are fairly hot, are often called "bell chillies".
In Canada, Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the heatless varieties are known simply as "peppers" (or more specifically "green peppers", "red peppers", etc.), while the hot ones are "chilli"/"chillies" (double L) or "chilli peppers".
In the United States, the common heatless varieties are referred to as "bell peppers", "sweet peppers", "red/green/etc. peppers", or simply "peppers", while the hot varieties are collectively called "chile"/"chiles", "chili"/"chilies", or "chili"/"chile peppers" (one L only), "hot peppers", or named as a specific variety (e.g., banana pepper).
The ground spice made from hot capsicums is called paprika in both American English and Commonwealth English. The name derives from Central Europe; in Polish language and in Hungarian, the term papryka and paprika (respectively) is used for all kinds of capsicums and the spice made from them.
File:朝天椒果實.jpg| Capsicum annum L. var. fasciculatum Irish. File:Capsicum annum L. var. fasciculatum Irish.jpg| Capsicum annum L. var. fasciculatum Irish. File:Capsicum annuum.JPG| C. annuum cultivars File:Pickled friggitelli.jpg|Friggitello ( C. annuum) File:Fefferoni.jpg|Friggitello in kebab restaurant File:Large Cayenne.jpg|Cayenne pepper ( C. annuum) File:Compact orange pepper plants.jpg|Compact plant of orange Capsicum File:Habanero chile - fruits (aka).jpg|Habanero chili ( C. chinense Jacquin)- plant with flower and fruit File:HotPeppersinMarket.jpg|Scotch bonnet ( C. chinense) in a Caribbean market File:Scotch-bonnet.jpg|Scotch bonnet File:Thai peppers.jpg| ( C. annuum) File:Green chillies.jpg|Fresh Indian green chillies in Bangalore market File:African red devil peppers.jpg|Piri piri ( C. frutescens 'African Devil') File:Naga Jolokia Peppers.jpg|Naga jolokia Chilli (bhut jolokia) ( C. chinense x C. frutescens) File:Capsicum_Annum_Flower.JPG| C. annuum flower File:Capsicum_Annum_Flower_Closeup.JPG| C. annum flower close up File:Green-Yellow-Red-Pepper-2009.jpg|Green, yellow, and red capsicum File:Makro Bunga Cabai.jpg|The flower of red hot bangi pepper, Malaysia File:Capsicum Malaysia.jpg|A small but very hot Capsicum in Malaysia File:Peperoni Cruschi.jpg|Peperoni cruschi, dried and crispy Capsicum from Basilicata File:মরিচ বা লংকা.jpg| Capsicum in Bangladesh File:Naga jolokia chili.jpg|Naga Morich in Bangladesh
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