Bell peppers are a well-known and popular vegetable that you can find in most grocery stores. However, many people wonder whether bell peppers can be spicy, probably because they’re peppers, after all! In this blog post, we’ll explore the answer to that question, and then some.
Can Bell Peppers Be Spicy?
According to the American Chemical Society, bell peppers cannot be spicy for a simple reason: they have zero capsaicin, the natural chemical compound responsible for the pungency of chili peppers.
Bell peppers score zero in the Scoville scale, a scale used to measure the spiciness of food. (To learn more about the Scoville scale, including some examples of its use, check out our previous post, “Are Shishito Peppers Hotter Than Jalapenos?”
Although they’ll never make the top of the Scoville scale, Bell peppers are appreciated around the world for their sweet and mild flavor profile, which makes them an excellent addition to various recipes.
What If I Like Spicy Food?
While the mildness of bell peppers works great in many cases, some people just love spicy food.
If that’s your case, you should go for peppers with high scores in the Scoville scale. Some examples you can find almost everywhere include:
- Poblano Pepper – 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
- Jalapeño Pepper – 2,000 to 8,000 SHU
- Cayenne Pepper – 25,000 to 50,000 SHU
- Tabasco – 30,000 to 50,000 SHU
- Habanero – 100,000 to 300,000 SHU
The world has spiciest peppers to offer, but the list above includes some of the most common.
Finally, a word of caution: While spicy food can be fun, remember that you should check with a doctor before making any extreme dietary choices.
Wrapping It Up
Bell peppers are not naturally spicy, because they lack capsaicin, the active component that lends chili peppers their spiciness.
Despite their lack of spiciness, bell peppers are still an excellent addition to any recipe that requires a sweet and mild flavor. So go ahead and add some colorful bell pepper to your next salad or stir-fry, and enjoy the sweet and savory flavors they bring to your food..
To learn more about bell peppers, be sure to check out our previous blogs on the subject: “Is a Bell Pepper a Fruit or a Vegetable?” and “Which Bell Peppers Are the Sweetest?”
Chef Gourmet: We Know Good Food
At Chef Gourmet, we use only fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes inspired by culinary traditions from around the world.
We are located in Ontario, California, with deliveries available for the Greater Los Angeles Area. Get in touch by phone (1-888-536-5269), email (info@6v2.b95.mytemp.website.com), or through our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
