Spanish pepper
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Bell pepper ( Capsicum annuum ), illustration |
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Spanish pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) or paprika is a type of plant from the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The origin of the plant varieties is in South and Central America , but natural occurrences reach as far as the south of North America . The species is the most widespread representative of the genus Paprika ( Capsicum ).
There is a multitude of varieties, both mild sweet peppers and more or less spicy varieties that are suitable as a seasoning, for example cayenne .
The specific epithet annuum means something like "annual", but the use of this term in the name of this plant is misleading, as Capsicum species can be cultivated for more than a year if they are not exposed to too cold temperatures. In their tropical home in particular, they can grow into large, perennial shrubs. More precisely, the term annual in botany also primarily means that the plant can reproduce sexually within one vegetation period , which is the case with all Capsicum species.
description
The Capsicum annuum plants reach heights of up to 150 cm and grow as a bushy subshrub , but mostly stretched upwards. The plants lignify relatively easily near the roots. The leaves are pointed forward, between 5 and 25 cm long and between 3 and 15 cm wide.
The flowers of the Capsicum annuum mostly grow individually from the branches of the stem, very rarely two or three flowers can be found in one branch. This can usually be observed in the first branching of the stem axis in the so-called royal flowers. The mostly five (but also four to seven) petals are white. More rarely, they have purple lines or are completely purple. Typical features are the often bluish stamens and the calyx with its short (0.5 cm) tips. Flowers and fruits mostly hang downwards, but there are also varieties such as the wild form Tepin , the fruits of which grow upwards. Botanically, the fruits are berries .
Most of the varieties of this species are almost always annual in culture. The Capsicum annuum species is the most commonly grown variety of chillies . Almost all mild (sweet peppers) or moderately hot varieties (hot peppers) and most of the hot and very hot chilies belong to this type. The chillies available in supermarkets in Europe are almost always Capsicum annuum varieties.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24, but 2n = 12 or 36 were also found.
History of Cultivation
Origin from America
The original home of the Capsicum annuum is probably today's Mexico. The distribution area before the discovery of America comprised areas of northern Colombia to the southern United States .
Worldwide distribution
After the first pepper plants left America through Christopher Columbus ' travels , the plant quickly spread all over the world , supported by the great expansion of the colonial rule of Portugal .
After northern and central Europe, the peppers came via a detour to the Balkans, where they were imported by the Turks, who in turn had probably received them from Portuguese colonies in India and Persia. Almost all the plants introduced in this way seem to have belonged to the species Capsicum annuum , as numerous entries in herbaria since the 16th century show. The evidence collected in this way includes Capsicum annuum plants of various fruit shapes (bell, pyramidal and tomato-shaped) and with both upright and hanging fruits.
For a long time, the Capsicum annuum plants grown in Northern Europe were only used as ornamental plants, it was not until the end of the 17th century that instructions on how to use the fruit for culinary purposes appeared in isolated cases. It was often pointed out that the fruit should be used carefully and very sparingly to season the meal. In the 18th century, more and more pickled vegetables were prepared, including mostly green Capsicum annuum fruits, some of the fruits were also used to season other vegetables during pickling.
Historical names used in German-speaking countries were Brunsilgenpéper, Cayenne Pepper, Curry, Guinea Pepper, Hennenpfeffer, Kappenpfeffer, Negro Pepper, Brazilian Pepper, Hispanic Pepper, Indian Calicut Pepper, Spanish Pepper and Polterhannes.
Ingredient capsaicin
The content of capsaicin , the ingredient responsible for the spiciness of paprika and chilli, varies greatly between the different types of Capsicum annuum . While sweet peppers contain almost no capsaicin (0 SCU on the Scoville scale ), even jalapeños have a value of 2500–8000 SCU. Top runners among the Capsicum annuum , such as the cayenne or the wild form Chiltepin, are around 30,000–50,000 SCU, which is far below the values achieved by representatives of other species such as Capsicum chinense .
Systematics
Varieties and groups
There is no generally recognized system within the species. A simple grouping only differentiates between Capsicum annuum var. Glabriusculum (sometimes also referred to as var. Aviculare) for all wild varieties and Capsicum annuum var. Annuum for cultivated varieties .
Another grouping divides the species on the basis of the shape and color of the fruit: The Cerasiforme group is characterized by small, cherry-shaped fruits; the Conioides group has upright, mostly small, cone-shaped fruits; Members of the Fasciculatum group include varieties with red, cone-shaped fruits; in the Grossum group are the large, mostly sweet sweet peppers and the Longum group has long, often curved fruits that are often formed in clusters.
sorts
Due to the long cultivation, simple cross-pollination and, especially recently, extensive targeted breeding, there is a large number of different chilli varieties, which often do not differ or only differ by relatively few recognizable characteristics. In addition, different names are often used for one and the same variety, sometimes unconsciously, sometimes - as especially in Mexico, where different names are used for different stages of maturity - consciously. Many local varieties have developed over the years in certain areas, so that in some cases, to be precise, one can already speak of a new variety if the fruit has been harvested from another farmer's plant.
Fruit types
For a better overview of the variety of varieties, fruit types are often described which, although they do not allow a precise botanical subdivision, are widely used in agriculture. The fruit types listed below by no means represent all varieties that are bred worldwide, and an assignment to these fruit types is often not possible.
- (Chil) Tepin / Pequin-Type : The wild variety Chiltepin ( C. annuum var. Glabriusculum or C. annuum var. Aviculare) belongs to this type , with small, round to pointed, mostly red fruits. Often the fruits are also called "Bird Chilis" or "Bird Eye Chilis", because birds like to eat them. Some ornamental varieties produce slightly larger fruits and ripen in different colors such as purple or black. Chiltepin chillies are very hot.
- Cayenne type : Typical of all cayenne-like varieties is the elongated fruit with a pointed end, which is often half-round, sometimes completely round. The original Cayenne chilli is red, but there are also yellow varieties. Most of the Dutch red chilli found in German supermarkets are likely to have been bred from Indonesian cayenne varieties. Because they are less sharp and have a less coarse outer skin, they are better adapted to customer requirements.
- Jalapeño type : In contrast to the cayenne chilli, the jalapeño chilli is primarily characterized by the round tip. The fruits are also straight, slightly more conical and less hot. They are red when ripe, but are traditionally harvested and processed when immature. Therefore, they are mostly green in stores. There are also purple and yellow variants that also mature red.
- Anaheim type : Often referred to as "New Mexican", this type of fruit is one of the most popular among the larger bell pepper fruits in the USA and also widespread in Mexico. The fruits are 15-20 cm long and taper towards the front. With a slight heat and large interiors, the fruits are well suited for stuffing, but they are also often made into paprika powder.
- Poblano type : Slightly wider than Anaheim , the Poblano is better known in Mexico than in the USA, but this type of fruit is also sold there. Depending on the color, the ripe and dried fruits are also called ancho or mulato . The peppers sold in Turkey as dolmalik also belong to this type of fruit.
- Short-Wax / Hot-Wax-Type : The name Wax refers to the almost waxy surface of the fruits of this type of fruit. They are up to ten centimeters long, tapering towards the front and are usually harvested when they are immature, when they are yellowish, almost white in color.
- Long wax type : Like short wax , only a little longer and usually less sharp.
- Cherry paprika type : With a diameter of up to five or six centimeters, the round shape and the mostly bright red, but also yellow or brown color, the cherry peppers are very reminiscent of ripe cherries . Because of their thick and firm flesh, they are often stuffed and pickled, but they are occasionally also used for drying. The varieties known in Europe mostly come from Hungary; Cherry peppers are also grown in Mexico, where they are called Cascabel .
- Bell peppers / block peppers type : These are the well-known sweet peppers. With three or four chambers, thick pulp and a length of 10–15 cm and a diameter of approx. 10 cm, they are the most popular peppers in German supermarkets. The original form ripens red, but the yellow form is similarly widespread, there are also orange or purple varieties and those that remain green as long as possible before ripening.
- Cubanelle type : Although Cubanelle roughly means Cuban (linen), these chilli varieties originally come from Italy. The fruits are comparable to the block-shaped sweet peppers, but somewhat smaller and longer. Some of them also have a pronounced tip.
literature
- Harald Zoschke: The Chili Pepper book - cultivation, recipes, interesting facts , Suncoast Peppers GmbH, Kressbronn, 1997, ISBN 3-924685-05-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gernot Katzer: Paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) In: Gernot Katzers Gewürz-Seiten. May 27, 2008. From Gernot-Katzers-Spice-pages.com, accessed October 10, 2019.
- ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 820 .
- ↑ Capsicum annuum at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 78. ( online ).
