Granulated Green Bell Peppers, Capsicum annuum, measure 0 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). They are green bell peppers that have been dehydrated and then ground. Bell peppers are members of the Solanaceae family, which also includes eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes.

Like the tomato, this boxy pepper is technically a fruit. Scientifically, a fruit develops from the ovary in the base of the plant's flower and contains the seeds of the plant. Bell peppers are sometimes classified with other less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers."
 

History and Cultivation

Chile Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Excavations of prehistoric Peruvian sites have discovered that these ancient South Americans flavored their foods with bell peppers more than 6,000 years ago.

The earliest recording of the term "Bell Pepper" dates back to the late 1600's where Lionel Wafer, a Welsh explorer, wrote about them in his book "A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America" as he explored the Caribbean as a doctor on a ship.

In horticulture, cultivars are a group of plants of the same species that have been selected and bred deliberately to produce specific characteristics (i.e. flavor, color, hardiness to growing conditions, etc.). Different cultivars of the bell pepper plant produce different color fruit. There are at least 15 cultivars of bell peppers including the most common green, orange, red and yellow as well as some harder to find such as brown (also called chocolate), purple and white (also called vanilla).

All sweet bell peppers begin green and their color changes as they ripen. Green bell peppers are fully developed but are harvested before they start to change colors.

It is not true that bell peppers with 3 lobes are female and those with 4 lobes are male. Bell Pepper plants have complete flowers which means that each flower contains both female and male parts. The number of lobes is actually related to the specific variety of pepper.  There are cultivars of peppers that produce 2, 3-4, or 3-5 lobes.  The 4 lobed 'bell' pepper have historically been more popular in this country, so plants have been breed for this characteristic.

 

Where to Use

Use Granulated Red Bell Peppers in Asian, Italian and Mexican dishes. We've used these in barbecue sauces, homemade beans, cheese dips, chili, dips, marinades, meatballs, pasta, salad dressings, sauces, soups, spice blends and stews.

 

Flavor Profile and Heat Level

The flavor of Granulated Green Bell Peppers is less sweet than the more popular red, orange or yellow bell peppers. The seeds and ribs inside bell peppers may be consumed, but some find their taste somewhat bitter.

Green Bell Peppers are a 0 on the heat scale.

 

Helpful Hints

If you're a fan of bell peppers then you may want to check out our Diced Green Bell Peppers and Diced Red Bell Peppers.