Why bell peppers are also called sweet

Actually, the bell peppers come from America. More precisely, from Mexico, where in 1493, its seeds were brought to Spain. From Spain it spread to Europe, then to Turkey, and came to us from Bulgaria.

From Mexico via Bulgaria

Large-fruited sweet varieties of peppers was taken in Bulgaria. Wild pepper exported from Mexico were used as medicines and were not sweet. Therefore, the Bulgarian breeders engaged in the breeding of sweet varieties, and what succeeded. And to us it was imported EN masse during the Soviet era exclusively from Bulgaria, and both in fresh and in canned form. Since delicious sweet peppers and we call Bulgarian. But today these vegetables are grown around the globe. The lion's share of them are still in Mexico – there are the world's largest plantation of sweet pepper.

Bell pepper – the fruit of annual herbaceous plants of the genus Capsicum. The appearance of the fruit is a large pod. Depending on the stage of ripeness and varieties, vegetable can be dark green to dark red.

The secret of sweetness

The content of vitamin C is superior to lemon. Moreover, the ascorbic acid contained in a sweet pepper has antihistamine properties. Rich with all representatives of group b, carotene, potassium, sodium, sulphur, iron, phosphorus, chlorine, calcium, and silicon. It also contains essential oils, nitrogenous compounds and sugars. And quite a few capsaicin. Special ingredient – capsaicin makes the other members of the family of peppers pungent and bitter. And the Bulgarian pepper its minimum amount, so it is sweet.

Mango and bell pepper fruit

By the way, "bell" peppers is called only from us. In Bulgaria itself it is called sweet. In America – just pepper, sometimes adding color adjectives (green, red, yellow). In some areas (Pennsylvania, Ohio), it is known as "mango". Not only because of the extraordinary sweetness. Just when mango was available to Americans only in canned form. So they call all canned vegetables, even sweet pepper, which is traditionally there to eat pickled. In Australia and New Zealand, bell pepper is called capsicum.

In Europe the most common name paprika. So-called, and the vegetable and seasoning, which is made from it. The name paprika also often add color. So paprika is a spice sometimes yellow, and green, and orange. In Denmark, the sweetness of the bell pepper is noted in the title – pepper-fruit. In Costa Rica, he also called sweet pepper or sweet chili. In Brazil – a large pepper. But the Egyptians, despite the different colors of bell peppers, called its exceptionally green pepper.