Every day offers a fresh opportunity and a new experience. We discover new things every day and see new things. As a result, you never know what to expect around the next turn.
In my opinion, the small objects we frequently pass by containing the most intriguing details. I wish to share some fascinating information I learned about common vegetables with you.
As you are all aware, I love to cook, therefore I always start my preparations at the neighborhood grocery shop.
I enjoy strolling around the area of the supermarket where the fruits and vegetables are kept. I don’t know why, but I think the colors fascinate me and cause my mind to begin fusing them in different ways.
What other ingredient would I use if not pepper when my kids asked that I make something spicy?
When I was struggling to choose between pepperoncini and banana pepper at that very time, the thought struck me: What makes one different from the other?
Pepperoncini vs Banana Pepper
While I thought a kind lady that worked in the store asked me if she can help, so I shared with her the question that was bugging me.
She looked at me and smiled. She said that I asked a complicated question.
She stated that they are practically the same, that even some professionals who produce them sometimes have trouble telling them apart.
Since I could not leave it at that, it was time for me to do some serious work. I had to find out what is the difference between pepperoncini and banana pepper!
I can’t wait to share with you the interesting facts and details that I found out.
Further Reading: Learn How To Store Your Favorite Peppers
The Ancient Roots
Peperoncino or plural peperoncini can also be spelled pepperoncino and pepperoncini, so all these names refer to the same species.
Columbus’ discovery of America or then known as the New World, in 1492, meant a lot.
Besides the new culture, new people, new fruits, and veggies were discovered. Some of the veggies were pepperoncino, which came to Italy at the beginning of the 16th century.
Can you believe that at first, people thought that pepperoncini were possibly poisonous?
So, in the beginning, they only used it as a decorative veggie. Also, it was used by the lower class because it was cheap and convenient.
That’s why it was not in any cookbooks before 1694. The cookbooks were made for rich people.
The first time it was used in a cookbook, it was in a recipe for Salsa. The Salsa was made out of chopped pepperoncini, slices of tomatoes, onion, and all that was mixed with peppermint, oil, and salt.
Banana peppers are not the only name that refers to this sort of pepper, a member of the chili pepper family. There are two more names – yellow wax pepper and banana chill.
The chili pepper family originated from America, but banana pepper did not stay only in this territory; it made its way through, and it is now used all over the world. It is a persuasion of Capsicum annum species.
See Also: Five Ways To Thicken Chili
The Introduction Of Pepperoncini
When it comes to size, pepperoncini grow up to 2 to 3 inches, so they are medium size.
Peppers are usually colored differently, and their color varies from green to yellow to red, so pepperoncini is not an exception. It usually starts from green, really light green, and then ripens to a red color. But the majority of pepperoncini is green.
You can find pepperoncini almost everywhere.
But if you like gardening and eat peppers in huge amounts, you should give growing pepperoncini by yourself a try. Just turn a part of your backyard into a beautiful garden. If necessary, a little fence can be built for the garden with just a drill device, some screws, and some pieces of wood.
You can find pepperoncini seeds in the local garden shop or online, and they are not too expensive. And taking care and harvesting pepperoncini is not so hard. You only have to water them once a week, and their maturation takes 70 days.
The Benefits Of Eating Pepperoncini
First of all, pepperoncini contain vitamin C, and this vitamin is essential for our immune system. This vitamin protects us from getting cold, and it can also prevent cell damage.
But there is one thing that you have to know: cooking will destroy the Vitamin C in the pepperoncini, so if you want the highest level of vitamin C, you should eat pepperoncini uncooked or, should I say, raw.
It is also filled with vitamin A, and as we were told as kids, this vitamin is good for our eyesight. This helpful vitamin makes our night vision better, and it makes a good impact on the health of our teeth and skin.
I also found out that this vitamin can reduce the risk of our children getting measles and diarrhea. So, I give pepperoncino to my kids as much as I can.
Pepperoncini is not only filled with vitamins – but it is also filled with iron. That is a mineral that we need each day. It helps our cells to grow and delivers oxygen through our whole body. If we do not have iron in our bodies, we are in danger of getting infections.
A single pepperoncino also contains 1g of fiber. Fiber can help you with making your immune system stronger and resistant to some serious conditions like heart disease or diabetes. It also helps with digestion and makes you feel fuller after eating, aiding in weight loss.
There are other ways in which it can help with weight loss. It contains plenty of Capsaicin, which promotes the burning of fat deposits and further raises your metabolism rate. Capsaicin also helps with chronic or acute pain management.
Now it is time to learn something about the banana pepper!
The Veggie That Looks Like A Banana
The look of the banana pepper is not so hard to explain.
A mature pepper will be around 2 to 3 inches long, and it is usually curve-shaped.
The color is usually yellow. This was the part when I realized where the name comes from – it looks like a banana!
Just like pepperoncini, you can find it and buy it almost everywhere.
But if you like gardening, you can grow it yourself. You can grow plants from seeds or cuttings. They can grow in almost every climate, but they do prefer warmer weather. They can be a bit more difficult to grow than pepperoncini.
You can take them off the plant once they are nicely firm and yellow, but you can wait until they grow orange or even red before taking them off. It all depends on what you want to use them for. If you want to pickle them, take them off as soon as possible.
Why Is Banana Pepper Good For You
Just like pepperoncini, banana pepper contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron. But there are some vitamins that I also have to mention because they are really good for you.
Banana pepper has many varieties of Vitamin B, and they are all important in releasing energy from carbohydrates. This makes them useful for speeding up your metabolism and losing weight.
It also has magnesium that we need in our growing process. And magnesium is essential for pregnant women. This pepper is also filled with calcium, and our bones need calcium.
So far, this makes things more clear.
The Differences Between Pepperoncini And Banana Pepper
Now it is time, to sum up everything that we have learned so far and add something new.
Even though they come from the same family, and some people find it hard to tell them apart, there are some differences.
When you say pepper, the first thing that comes to my mind is hot. So there are some differences in the heat of these two peppers.
For measuring the heat of the pepper, we use the Scoville scale. The pepperoncini are between 100 and 500 SHU, banana pepper is ranged between 0 to 500 SHU.
They both have the same size, usually from 2 to 3 inches and the colors are pretty much the same. And their nutritional value is almost the same because they have the same roots.
So how do we tell them apart?
Firstly their skin has some similarities, but there are visual differences. While the banana pepper tends to be smooth, it is baby-faced, as some people say. Pepperoncini tend to have bends and are more wrinkly.
Their shape will also help you see which one is pepperoncini and which one is banana pepper. Banana peppers are shaped more like a banana – they are pointier, while pepperoncini have bulbous ends.
And now we came to the part about using banana pepper and pepperoncini in the kitchen.
In most cases, pepper is sliced into circles and put on a pizza or utilized in a salad.
But there is one big difference between these two that is important in cooking.
While pepperoncini have thin skin and cannot be stuffed, banana peppers have larger walls that allow them to be filled with a variety of ingredients. However, because of their thin skin, they are more suited for pickling, however, you can pickle either species if you choose.
Both of these may also be utilized in a variety of other recipes. Because of their sweetness, banana peppers, for instance, can be used in ice cream. Ice cream with peppers? It is indeed feasible!
Due to their flavor and hardness, pepperoncini cannot be used in ice cream, but their crunchiness makes them a fantastic addition to salads and appetizers.
However, you may consume both peppers uncooked.
That’s when you’ll notice one of the most pertinent differences between the two – the difference in taste. Banana peppers are more on the sweet and tangy side, but pepperoncini also have a tinge of bitterness to them, making them more suitable for certain dishes.
These differences in taste even out if they are pickled and you can freely use pickled banana peppers as a replacement for pickled pepperoncini and vice-versa.
Of course, those are just the basic differences in taste. There are various cultivars of both species that differ further.
Some of the most popular cultivars of banana peppers are Hungarian Yellow Wax, Sweet Hungarian, Bananarama, and so on. They differ in the amount of sweetness they offer as well as their textures.
There are fewer cultivars of pepperoncini, but they still exist. One of the most popular ones is The Golden Greek, which is not as bitter as the Italian variant.
Whether you put pepperoncini or banana pepper on your plate, you will not regret it.
There aren’t many differences between these two, except skin details, but in the end, they are both healthy and carry almost the same nutritional values.
Now, I think I am going to make a salad with pepper. 🙂
After I learned that it was so good for me, I don’t think one day will pass without me eating it.
Until next time!
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