Bell peppers

Bell peppers are large, sweet-tasting fruits of Capsicum annuum with bell-shaped pods that can vary in colour from green through yellow and orange to red as they ripen. Free of the pungent capsaicin that fires chillies, they offer crisp texture, juiciness, and abundant vitamin C, with red fruits also rich in carotenoids and sweeter than green ones. Their colour stages reflect rising sugar and pigment content, giving cooks a spectrum of flavour, nutrition, and visual appeal. Eaten raw in salads or cooked in countless cuisines, they demand the usual fresh-produce hygiene: washing, chilled storage, and protection from damage that invites decay.