Topic: Sweet peppers

[natterjak]

Just wondering what the flavour differences are between red, green and yellow sweet peppers and are only green peppers suitable for curries?  The only time I remember seeing sweet peppers in curry recipes is for jalfrezi and it's always green peppers.  Would the world stop spinning if I used red or yellow peppers?

Are there any curry recipes that call for red or yellow peppers?

[Malc.]

I wouldn't classify a regular pepper as sweet though the yellow and red can be. Green certainly offers a a much different flavour to yellow and red. You can mix and match your peppers but if your looking for a more savoury flavour then green it should be.

[natterjak]

Thanks Axe, I've been reading up on peppers this morning on Wikipedia. Fascinating things they are too.  The naming seems very variable, what is a sweet pepper to us in the UK is a bell pepper if you're in the US, a capsicum for people in NZ, Aus, India, etc. and to some folks would be called a paprika!

The photo at this link location caught my eye, what a beautiful thing the yellow banana pepper is.  Never seen one before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peppermix.jpg

[Malc.]

There is certainly alot of reading to be had about peppers and it is interesting how they are referred to in various parts of the world, thanks to all those intrepid explorers years ago.

[Razor]

NJ,

My observations with regards to peppers are, Green = bitter/savoury, Yellow = sweeter than green yet still has a slight bitter note, Red = sweet.

I could be wrong but doesn't the time of harvesting the pepper determine it's colour in a similar way to tomatoes? ie; Green = not ready, Yellow = all most there, Red = ready

In the Manchester area, you will often find all three in a Jalfrezi but only green in a Dupiaza or Bhuna.

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

I've never used or seen yellow peppers in a curry, but green and red are quite common here in Scotland. I use both in curries regularly.