Not only are they beautiful, but they are delicious and versatile. They can be eaten raw, in salads, or they can be roasted or grilled over a direct flame, or under a broiler. When their charred skins are removed, their tender and sweet flesh can be dressed with a tasty vinaigrette. The larger bell peppers or pimientos can be hollowed out and stuffed, nature's perfect container for seasoned rice, or a meat and rice mixture or another vegetable such as eggplant. They are native to the Americas and were brought to Europe by the Spaniards after the voyage of Columbus.
Peppers come in many sweet and hot varieties.
The latter are better known as chilies. While sweet peppers are at the market all year long, they are at their peak in the fall. Among the sweet varieties are banana peppers , pale yellow and about 5 inches long. The small ivory or very pale yellow wax peppers are very mild in flavor. We're probably most familiar with the bell peppers , which resemble their name.