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Capsicum | PLANT PROFILE
The
sweeter
pepper
Capsicum, though a close relative of the
fiercer chilli we use in curries, is a mild,
tasty fruit with more tang than sting
The history of the capsicum — that
summer garden star of salads
and ratatouille, second only to
the tomato — is one of confusion,
not least because, like its nightshade cousin
tomato, the capsicum is botanically a fruit but
in the kitchen is regarded as a vegetable.
Capsicum annuum, known down under
and on the Indian subcontinent by its
botanical name (from the Latin capsa or box,
in reference to its shape), is called a pepper
almost everywhere else — and therein lies
even more confusion.
When Christopher Columbus introduced
this New World delight to Europe in 1493,
any pungent condiment was called “pepper”,
including of course Piper nigrum, also known
as the peppercorn, which had already found
its way west via the Spice Routes.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Columbus’s
original intention had been to find an
alternative sea route to Asia and its precious
spices. With the mild, sweet capsicum, he also
brought back the Mexican chilli, an ancient,
fiery relative of the capsicum that was little
enjoyed in Europe but found an enthusiastic
welcome in Asia and North Africa. Now here
was a pepper that out-peppered pepper.
So what the Americans know as bell
pepper or sweet pepper and the Europeans
call pimiento or paprika is in fact the very
un-peppery capsicum, so “cool” it rates
only 0–600 units on the Scoville scale of
heat. Compare these other members of
the Capsicum family: Jalapeño comes in at
3500–10,000, Habanero and Birds Eye reach
an eye-watering 100,000–350,000 and India’s
Naga Jolokia soars northwards of a fearsome
million units.
Varieties
We’re all familiar with green and red
capsicums but the fruit comes in many
colours, from yellow and orange to purple
and even brown. Most capsicums are fat and
bell-shaped — hence the name bell pepper
All in the family
According to the website of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, the Capsicum family
comprises “a bewildering variety of colourful and spicy fruits” with more than 200
common names and possibly several thousand varieties and cultivars: “Nobody
knows exactly how many ... because existing varieties cross-pollinate easily.” While
varieties are classified on their fruit shapes, the website notes, “Capsicum annuum
can be difficult to separate from the cultivated C. chinense (the hottest pepper) and
C. frutescens (Tabasco pepper) and their morphological features can overlap. These
three species share the same ancestral gene pool and are sometimes called the
‘annuum-chinense-frutescens complex’.” The best rule of thumb is: if you can’t stand
the heat, keep them out of the kitchen.
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