Bell Pepper, My Favorite Vegetable

“Sili” in Filipino or chili in Mexican or Spanish is an herb or vegetables that Filipinos associate with one having a “hot” taste. The “siling labuyo” or bird’s eye chili pepper is very hot and leaves a momentary burning sensation in the mouth with just a bite of a single and small ripened fruit. It is used as ingredient of local dishes to make them pungent and spicy.  One variety of the capsicum family that I like most is the bell pepper.

The bell pepper is distinct from other pepper variety since it does not have a hot taste which is common to other peppers. It is also the largest of all the peppers. The reason for this is that bell pepper does not produce the chemical capsaicin that gives the other pepper variety a burning taste when people bite or chew it. Rather than hot its taste is somehow sweet and its flesh and skin is tender. For me, it’s one of the most delicious vegetables that I have eaten.

The bell pepper is botanically a fruit since it grows out of a flower and contains seeds, but culinarily it is used and consumed as a vegetable. In the local market, the bell pepper comes in three different colors- red, yellow and green, with the red as the most delicious of all.

For culinary purpose, the bell pepper is used as toppings of pizza. It is also used in combination with other vegetables to make stews or addition to meats such as beef and pork. Bell pepper is also ideal as one of components of green or vegetable salad. I like it as salad because of its pleasant taste and soft texture. I prepare it slightly boiled rather than raw to prevent bacteria contamination with mayonnaise or commercially sold green salad dressings to add flavor. Sometimes I simply dip it in vinegar with salt.

The bell-shaped fruit or vegetable is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, riboflavin, folate, Vitamin E and fiber making it an ideal food for one who wants a balanced diet for a good health.

In the local market, bell pepper is one of the most expensive vegetables making it not budget friendly vegetable either for personal or commercial consumption.