SC - Paprika-History of

[Decker, Terry D.]

><snip>The mildpuffy green, or bell, pepper is the immature Capsicum grossum
>which whenit is ripe, is the hot red or yellow pepper. <snip>
>
>um...while the bell peppers I have grown do change from green to red or
>yellow...they don't turn into hot peppers.  And the hot peppers I have grown
>are hot even when they are green.
>-brid
>(confused)

The "hot" in this case may not be referring to spicing, but color.  Red
bell peppers are definitely a hot red color, but they do not have a hot
taste. 

Capsicums are not uniformly "hot".  Different varieties have different
flavors and the "fire" (determined by the capsaicin in the pepper) is
also altered by the growing conditions.

To give a little idea of the range of flavors, here's a quote from the
MS Encyclopedia:

The red peppers, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the
Americas, are various species of Capsicum (of the NIGHTSHADE family).
The hot varieties include cayenne pepper, whose dried, ground fruit is
sold as a spice, and chili pepper, sold similarly as a powder or in a
chili sauce. Paprika (the Hungarian word for red pepper) is a ground
spice from a less pungent variety. The pimiento, or Spanish pepper, is a
mild type; its small fruit is used as a condiment and for stuffing
olives. The common garden, or bell, pepper has larger, also mild fruits;
they are used as vegetables and in salads. Bell peppers are also known
as green peppers because they are most often marketed while still
unripe.

Bear
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