Peppers

There are a wide variety of peppers in the world. What we usually eat are the fruit of different species of the genus Capsicum, from the Solanaceae family. Within this genus there are many varieties of hot pepper like the habanero or the Bhut jolokia. In Europe, the species most commonly grown for consumption is the Capsicum annuum.

Be careful with different pepper varieties

In Spain we know the whole family as peppers and sometimes use the word guindilla (chilli) to refer to the hot ones, but really the variety is a lot bigger. Unlike tomatoes or cucumbers where you just grow different varieties of the same species, peppers are many species from the genus Capsicum. It’s worth learning the difference, particularly for those who don’t know the hot ones. .

As you can see by the species Capsicum annuum, there is more to this family than the sweet peppers we grow at Agrosol Export. Hot peppers such as padrón peppers, cayenne peppers and jalapeño peppers also belong to this species. Even hotter are the varieties of the species Capsicum chinense. If you don’t know the habanero or the Bhut jolokia then spice isn’t for you. The latter is one of the hottest peppers in the world.

If you want to see the consequences of eating a Bhut jolokia then just search for “Ghost Pepper Challenge” (as it is more commonly known) on Youtube. Don’t panic, although they are 200 times hotter than Padrón peppers, they aren’t poisonous. The people in the videos survive in the end…

Optimum conditions for growing peppers

To grow peppers you need an average temperature of around 20 degrees centigrade, with little change. High humidity isn’t a necessity but it is important to have lots of light. The Agrosol greenhouses are blessed with the famous Andalusian sun and a controlled environment, which guarantees optimum germination, growth and ripening of the fruit.

Agrosol Export peppers

At Agrosol we grow three types of pepper: California, Ramiro Rojo and Sweet Bite:

• California Pepper: These peppers are short and wide, with three or four well-defined chambers, and are grown at Agrosol with adjustments throughout the ripening period in order to get all the possible colours: yellow, red, orange and green. They are large with thick, succulent walls and a fresh, sweet flavour.
• Ramiro Rojo Pepper: This is a quintessentially sweet pepper. They are grown with great care to produce exceptional fruits of between 20 and 25cm in size, are dark in colour, very straight, thin-walled, and have slightly wrinkled and shiny skin.
• Sweet Bite Pepper: Our mini red, orange and yellow peppers are sweet and somewhat peppery, and go with the rest of our Cherrytos&Go, perfectly. They can also be cooked, either fried or in the oven, and stuffed with rice or mince, maintaining their delicate flavour in every dish.

Cuidado con las distintas variedades de pimiento

En España conocemos a toda la familia como pimiento y, en ocasiones, usamos el término guindilla para referirnos a las variedades picantes pero lo cierto es que la variedad de este fruto es mucho más amplia. A diferencia del tomate o el pepino, donde sólo se cultivan distintas variedades de una misma especie, en el pimiento se consumen varias especies del género Capsicum. Y conviene diferenciarlas, especialmente para los que no están acostumbrados al picante.

En el caso de la especie Capsicum Annuum, no sólo encontramos los pimientos dulces que cultivamos en Agrosol Export, también pertenecen a esta especie los pimientos de Padrón, la cayena o el jalapeño, que sí son picantes. Aún más picantes son las variedades de la especie Capsicum chinense. Si no te suena el habanero o el naga jolokia es que no eres un amante del picante. En el caso de este último, nos encontramos con uno de los pimientos más picantes del planeta.

Si queréis ver las consecuencias de la ingesta del naga jolokia, en Youtube es fácil encontrarlas si buscamos “Ghost Pepper Challenge” pues Ghost Pepper (Pimiento Fantasma) es como se conoce en inglés. Tranquilos, aunque es 200 veces más picante que los pimientos de Padrón, no es venenoso. Al final los protagonistas de los vídeos sobreviven…

El cultivo óptimo del pimiento

Para cultivar pimiento se necesita una temperatura media cercana a los 20 grados centígrados, sin excesivos cambios. No es necesario que la tasa de humedad sea muy alta pero sí que exista una gran cantidad de luz. Los invernaderos de Agrosol disfrutan del famoso sol de Andalucía y de un entorno controlado que garantizan la óptima germinación, crecimiento y maduración del fruto.

El pimiento de Agrosol Export

En Agrosol cultivamos tres variedades de pimiento, California, Ramiro Rojo y Sweet Bite:

• Pimiento California: son frutos anchos y cortos, con tres o cuatro cascos bien definidos, cultivados en Agrosol, con ajuste en su maduración, para ofrecer todos los colores disponibles, amarillo, rojo, naranja y verde. Es de pared gruesa y carnosa, con sabor dulce y fresco y de tamaño grande.
• Pimiento Ramiro Rojo: es el pimiento verdaderamente dulce, por excelencia. Se cultivan con esmero para obtener frutos premium de entre 20 y 25 cm, de tonalidad oscura, muy rectos y pared fina y de piel algo rugosa y brillante.
• Pimento Sweet Bite: nuestro pimiento mini, rojo, naranja y amarillo, dulce y algo picante, que conjunta con el resto de snacks Cherrytos&Go, de mil maravillas. También puede ser cocinado, frito o al horno, para rellenarlos con arroz o carne picada, manteniendo su sabor delicado en cualquier tipo de plato.

Cerrar

Peppers have been grown and eaten by man for over 6000 years. In Mesoamerica they weren’t just consumed directly, but were used as a base for other recipes such as hot cocoa.

When Cristobal Colón arrived in America, he named the fruit “pepper” after its similarity in taste to black pepper, which was one of the things that inspired his travels. Unlike other fruits such as tomatoes, which took decades to be widely accepted as an edible food, the pepper’s popularity spread rapidly following its arrival in Spain in 1493.

Both sweet and hot peppers have permanently changed the face of gastronomy in Europe, China and India. So much so that in some regions of India, it is thought that peppers have been around for thousands of years when in reality they only started to be used there after their importation to Europe by Colón.

Cerrar

Peppers provide some of the highest levels of vitamin C of any food; with more than double the amount of an orange of the same weight. If you want to incorporate this vegetable into your diet, try one of these recipes:

STUFFED PEPPERS

This simple recipe is a delicious way to incorporate protein and vitamins into your diet.

• Ingredients: 6 large red peppers, half a kilo of mince, chopped tomatoes, one diced onion, olive oil, grated cheese and salt.
• Method: Wash the peppers well and remove the insides. Four of them will be filled with the mince and two will be used to flavour the tomato sauce. For the filling: heat the oil in a pan and cook the mince and chopped onion, then season to taste. For the sauce: blend the two peppers and chopped tomato in a food processor. Peppers: Put the four peppers on an ovenproof tray and fill each one part way with the mince. Then pour tomato sauce into each pepper and sprinkle with grated cheese so that they gratinate in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 160°c.
• Serving suggestion: This makes a great main course packed with vitamins. Depending on the type of meat you use, you can really lower the fat content. Bon appetit!

ROAST PEPPER AND TUNA SALAD

You can enjoy peppers without adding any extra fat by roasting them. This can be done by cooking them in the oven, or if you’re short on time, in the microwave. They can be eaten hot, or in a salad once they have cooled, like this recipe.

• Ingredients: 3 large peppers, one sliced onion, one tin of tuna in olive oil, olive oil and salt.
• Method: Wash the peppers well and remove the insides. Put them on an ovenproof tray along with the sliced onion, drizzle with oil and season with salt. Roast at 180°c for about an hour. Once chilled, remove the skin off the peppers and break into strips. Serve the peppers and onion together with the tuna.
• Serving suggestion: It’s easier to peel the roasted peppers if you let them “sweat” by putting them in a sealed container. If you combine different peppers (red, green or yellow), this will give you different levels of vitamins and carotenoids.

CHICKEN WITH MULTICOLOURED PEPPERS

Red and green peppers provide different proportions of vitamins, and combining them with chicken makes a great tasting, healthy dish. The soy sauce gives the meal a delicious Asian touch, which can be intensified by adding typical Asian spices.

• Ingredients: 100 grams of red pepper, 100 grams of green pepper, 100 grams of onion, 500 grams of chicken breast (or any boneless cut of chicken), soy sauce and olive oil.
• Method: Wash the peppers well and remove the insides. Cut them into strips and put to one side. Cut the chicken into 2-3cm pieces and let them marinate in the soy sauce along with the onion. Fry the peppers in a pan on a high heat until you can see them start to crisp, then add all the marinated ingredients to the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through.

Serving suggestion: This is a very healthy, simple dish. The combination of soy sauce with the peppers is delicious, and you can adjust the amount of sauce as you please. Serve hot and enjoy!

Cerrar

China is the leading global producer of peppers, although India is the leading producer of dried pepper. Mexico, Turkey and Indonesia are also significant global producers. Spain has increased its production in recent years and is now in the top 5 producing countries.

One of the most obvious global trends in pepper consumption is the increased use of hot peppers thanks to the popularity of Mexican and Indian food. In Europe, sweet peppers, which contain no capsaicin (the substance that gives peppers their heat), are the most popular.

Cerrar