Peppers come in many shapes and sizes and some products fall under peppers while we did not know that. Peppers are often used, especially to spice up a dish, but also to add various taste sensations. How did the pepper originate, where does it come from, how can you use it and what types are there? Read this and more in the following article.
Origin of the pepper
The Romans and ancient Egyptians already used peppers, from which we can conclude that pepper has a long history. The pepper reached the ancient Greeks via Persia and the area in which pepper was used expanded more and more. In the fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus brought peppers to Europe after his travels to the West Indies. The Arabs also brought pepper to Europe and the peppers were mainly transhipped through the port of Alexandria. At the end of the 15th century, the Italian cities of Pisa, Venice, Genoa and Florence held the monopoly on the pepper trade, but this quickly changed when the route through South Africa was also discovered by a Portuguese trader. This is how Portuguese pepper came onto the European market through the Cape of Good Hope. The trade in pepper provided many traders with a good income and because pepper was later cultivated in several places, the profits grew considerably. In fact, an American had been so successful in trading chilies in the seventeenth century that he was able to found the famous Yale University with his profits. Partly due to the fact that the profits have been so high, the trade has been successful and the prices of pepper have always been high, the word ?? very expensive ?? originate.
Growing peppers
Originally, the pepper plant grew in India, but over the centuries more countries have started producing peppers. A pepper plant needs a living environment with sufficient moisture and a high temperature. In addition, the plant grows best in the shade. This makes it impossible to grow the plants everywhere. Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia also grow peppers on a large scale in addition to India. In the Netherlands, peppers are grown in greenhouses, making them available all year round with the help of grow lights. When growing the peppers, use is made of both soil and substrate and in order to protect all the crop properly against negative influences, only biological control is used. The pollination of the flowers on the pepper plant also occurs naturally. Bumblebees are used for this process. The pepper plant, a vine of up to 15 meters high, produces small berries that grow in clusters averaging 12 centimeters long.
Increasing popularity of peppers
Peppers are increasingly used in Dutch kitchens. On an annual basis, an average of 140,000 tons is produced worldwide. Peppers come in many different shapes and sizes, so the popularity differs per pepper type. Among the Dutch, the Spanish pepper is the most popular, but more and more Mexican and Middle Eastern peppers are also being used. The most common colors are green and red, but orange and yellow varieties are also widely used. The purple and brown peppers are less popular. The taste of the different varieties are very different from each other. In addition to hot peppers, there are also sweet peppers and the degree to which a pepper is spicy or sweet also differs per type. Capsaicin is found around the seeds of a pepper, which determines the flavor of the pepper. Chillies are best when medium spiciness is desired. The hottest pepper is the Habanero and the least hot is the Jalapenos from Mexico.
The increasing popularity of peppers is mainly due to the fact that more and more people are preparing foreign food. New cultures are put on the table and many dishes use a type of pepper. Mexican, Indonesian and Chinese food are very popular among the Dutch and pepper plays a role in almost all these dishes. The preparation of foreign food and the use of peppers is becoming a real trend within our country and in terms of spiciness the Dutch can also have more and more.
Differences in pepper plants
Of course, not all types of peppers come from the same plant. The white, black and green peppers descend from the original pepper plant mentioned earlier. The basis for these three varieties lies in the berries of the pepper plant. White pepper is created from the ripe berries of the plant. Soaking these berries will cause them to soak and crack open so that the peppercorn comes loose and can be washed. The white pepper grows for quite a long time compared to other peppers and is stripped of the skin. Due to the longer production process, the white pepper is also on average more expensive than the green and black pepper.
The black pepper comes from unripe berries that are dried after harvesting. This causes the originally red berry to develop a brown to black color and the skin to wrinkle. After drying, the black peppercorn is ready to be consumed. The green pepper also comes from the unripe berry. Unlike black pepper, these berries are not dried, but preserved. This is usually done in salt water or vinegar.
The Chinese pepper comes from the Zanthoxylum Piperitum and the Peru pepper comes from the Schinus Molle. Chili pepper and cayenne pepper come from plants in the so-called Nightshade family. The berries of the American shrub are also called “pink peppers”. mentioned, but officially this variety does not belong to the real peppers.
Taste sensations and stimuli
The most commonly used pepper in the Netherlands, the Spanish pepper, not only provides a unique taste sensation, but is also very healthy in several areas. The pepper warms the body from within, causing people to sweat a lot. In this way, the pepper can even provide cooling in a very hot climate. In combination with a high-carbohydrate diet, chilies are very helpful in weight loss and research has also shown that lovers of spicy foods are less likely to experience food poisoning. The chili can be used in almost all dishes and the dish can be made as spicy as the cook wants. The peppers induce a hot tingling sensation in the mouth. As a result, people often suffer from watery eyes and a runny nose after eating a chili pepper. Peppers can therefore also be used as an aid when you have a bad cold. When the eyes come into direct contact with moisture from a pepper, it can be very painful and annoying. With this fact in mind, the composition for pepper spray was also created. Pepper spray, also called pepper spray, comes in an aerosol can and is used successfully as a self-defense agent.
Good use of chilies
Peppers are used and processed in various ways. Mini peppers, bell peppers and sweet peppers can also be eaten as is, while this is not recommended with the Habanero, for example. When a chilli is cooked in the dish, without being cut into it, it will give off its spicy flavor in a subtle way. This is recommended for people who are not very used to spicy food. When the pepper is cut into pieces and used in the dish, the taste is much more sensational and certainly much spicier. For the average Dutch person this is too spicy and not tasty.
Information for everyone
Many pepper and pepper growers also attend trade shows to advise hobby chefs and professional chefs on the many options regarding the use of all types of peppers and peppers. A group of growers of different types of specialties have joined forces to convey their enthusiasm and knowledge to the end user. The group, i-special, can be found a lot at fairs and events.