Italians use several varieties of peppers in their recipes.
Italian chefs are renowned for their hearty, richly flavored dishes. Many of these incorporate peppers, either as a vegetable or a spice. Peppers feature in Italian appetizers, soups and salads, and are often added to pastas and pizzas as toppings. Some delicately sweet, some spicy, peppers are an integral component of Italian cooking.
Sweet Pepper
Italian cooking uses a type of chili pepper called an Italian sweet pepper, sometimes also called peperoni or Italian sweet relleno pepper. As the name suggests, it is slightly sweet to the taste, and it is often used in sautes or added to pizzas, salads, pastas or meat dishes. Italian sweet peppers are usually cooked when they are 6 inches to 8 inches long, making them large enough to stuff. Younger peppers are green and more mature peppers are red.
Pepperoncini
Pepperoncini (or peperoncini) is another kind of chili pepper that is green when young and red when fully mature. Unlike the Italian sweet pepper, pepperoncini have a wrinkly skin and are crunchy, slightly bitter and somewhat spicy. They grow from 2 inches to 4 inches long and are a popular Italian appetizer. They are also often served dried or pickled, which gives them a light salty taste. Pepperoncini were originally grown in Tuscany, so they are also called Tuscan peppers.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers, the most common kind of pepper in American cooking, are also popular in Italian cooking. These peppers are large and sweet, not at all spicy, and can be used in a variety of ways. Italian recipes often involve roasting them, which causes their natural sugars to caramelize and makes them even sweeter. They are also often marinated in olive oil and spices and served as an appetizer. Bell peppers can also be served raw or stuffed with meats, nuts or cheeses.
Black Pepper
Italian food, like regional cuisine from many other countries, makes extensive use of black pepper as a spice. Black pepper is made by grinding peppercorns, which are the dried fruit of the pepper plant. It is spicy and pungent, and most potent when freshly ground. Black pepper is used in Italian food as a final step in the seasoning process, ground onto the food shortly before it is served to maximize its flavor. Whole peppercorns are also used to flavor soups and other slow-cooking dishes, but are usually removed before serving.
Tags: Italian sweet, Italian cooking, also called, also often, Bell peppers, chili pepper
