Are Peppers Vegetables?
Peppers are a common vegetable found in many kitchens across the world, often viewed as a key ingredient in various dishes. But what are peppers and are they considered a vegetable?
What are Peppers?
Peppers are a particular type of fruit that belongs in the solanaceae family. This family includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and tobacco. This family is also characterized by having a hollow stem. Peppers come in a variety of tastes, colors, and shapes, some of which are mild while other are quite spicy.
Are They Vegetables?
Peppers are generally considered to be vegetables, despite belonging to a family of fruits. This is because of their widespread use in cooking, with the much less sweet taste of peppers compared to other members of the solanaceae family.
In addition, peppers are usually consumed as part of a savory dish where other vegetables are present and treated as a vegetable overall. This has resulted in peppers, although having characteristics of a fruit, being generally categorized as a vegetable.
Types of Peppers
Peppers not only differ in taste and color, but also in shape. Some examples of popular peppers include:
- Bell peppers – These are large, sweet peppers, green but can also be found in yellow and red.
- Jalapeno – This is a small hot pepper, ranging in color from green to red.
- Habanero – These are small, bright orange peppers, extremely hot in nature.
- Paprika – Paprika refers to a range of pepper, most usually sweet in taste and ranging in color from yellow to red.
Conclusion
To conclude, peppers are a type of fruit in the solanaceae family, but are widely known and consumed as a vegetable. Due to their wide range of varieties and flavors, they are often used as a key ingredient in numerous dishes.
