Green peppers are younger red bell peppers. They have a mild but unique flavour that enhances sauces soups and stir frys. Bell peppers are not hot due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin the compound responsible for the heat found in other peppers. Green peppers are not as sweet as other peppers as they are harvested early before their peak ripeness. The three species of Capsicum all evolved from a single common ancestor of wild peppers which date back to at least 5000 B.C.in South America. It is the original Portuguese and Spanish explorers who are credited with starting the spread of sweet peppers around the world.
