The pepper is the fleshy berry of the Capsicum annuum plant of the Solanaceae family. Thanks to the presence of capsulated dihydrous (DTC) it helps maintain body weight and performs a diuretic and anti-rheumatic action. Let's find out better.

Properties of the pepper

The main nutritional characteristic of the pepper is its high content of vitamin C or ascorbic acid and vitamin A.

Among the sweet varieties the yellow peppers are those with a good content of vitamin C (126 mg / 100 g) but the spicy varieties are the richest in vitamins so much that they reach values ​​300 times higher than each of the other cultivated vegetables, with a content of very high ascorbic acid and therefore not recommended for those suffering from gastric ulcer or hyperacidity and for children.

Other constituents of some importance are beta-carotene (especially if the pepper is red) and flavonoids (antioxidants that act against free radicals and cellular aging). There are also mineral salts such as magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and calcium which have the advantage of stimulating tissue vitality and activating the venous and capillary circulation, preventing vascular diseases.

Another important property of peppers is that which makes them low in calories (Kcal 22/100 g) since they are made up of over 90% water and very little fat (0.3 g / 100 g).

You can learn more about all foods that contain vitamin C

Ally of

A group of researchers at the University of California has discovered that sweet pepper helps maintain body weight thanks to the presence of capsulated dihydrous (DTC), a non-spicy substance found in sweet table peppers that can increase heat production in the body (thermogenesis).

The results showed that the sweet pepper DTC significantly increased fat oxidation, prompting the body to increase metabolism by using more fat as fuel.

Also important is the pharmaceutical use of peppers: in addition to capsicin, in fact, the berries contain lecithin, pectin, vitamins A, C, PP, P2 and E, good doses of calcium and phosphorus. Therefore peppers play a diuretic, antirheumatic, antineuralgic, stimulate the vitality of the tissues, promote blood oxygenation, activate the venous and capillary circulation preventing vascular diseases.

Moreover, thanks to their vitamin C content, consuming regular peppers allows them to produce more collagen, the main protein in the human body that keeps the tissues toned and young.

Origin of the plant

The pepper (from the Latin pipereris, meaning pepper) is a large and fleshy berry of a plant ( Capsicum annuum ) belonging to the Solanaceae family native to South America (Brazil).

The Latin name " Capsicum " derives from capsa "box" due to the particular shape of the fruit that resembles a box that encloses the seeds but also from the Greek kapto which means "to bite", with obvious reference to the spiciness that "bites" the tongue when let's have lunch.

In the genus of Capsicum the most important species is the Capsicum annuum to which all the peppers or chillies we know belong.

We consume the fruit of the pepper plant, a very variable berry initially green in color but which, when completely ripe, becomes yellow or red; in the pulp, in the round and crushed seeds but also in the white part inside the fruit (placenta) is the " capsicin ", an alkaloid that gives the characteristic spicy flavor to this vegetable .

According to some scholars, the starting point for the spread of this vegetable is Brazil, according to others Jamaica, however some archaeologists have found pepper seeds in prehistoric tombs in the Lima region. We find a precise testimony in the biography of Montezuma, the last lord of the Aztecs, who while he was a prisoner of Cortez, spent his time joking with his concubines eating dishes with red chili peppers.

The pepper appeared on the European tables when it was imported into Spain in the mid-1500s; then it arrived in Italy and only in the 1700s in Hungary, which today is one of the main producers of paprika (spice obtained from particular varieties of peppers containing high percentages of capsicin, which are dried, powdered and mixed with wheat flour).

Pepper variety

In Italy the regions most interested in the cultivation of this vegetable are the southern regions such as Sicily, Puglia, Campania and Lazio.

The most common varieties are:

• square type (sweet) variety grossum . It has a square fruit with thick and sweet pulp of different colors (red, yellow and green);
• elongated type (sweet) variety longum. The fruit is elongated in the shape of a horn and in some varieties ends with a characteristic curved tip;
• elongated type (spicy) variety acuminatu. Among these we find the thin and long cajenna pepper with a strong and spicy taste (paprika is obtained from this pepper);
• type trunk (spicy) variety abbeviatum. Among these is the pimento with fruit in the shape of a spinning top and very thick pulp (which is well suited to the canning industry).

Curiosity about the pepper

The presence of capsicin, very high in so-called hot peppers, is measured with the Scoville scale .

In the sweet pepper, which is consumed fresh, there are from 0 to 500 Scoville units of capsicin, while in the Habanero variety, the most spicy chili in the world, 300, 000 units are reached.