Banana peppers are beautiful. It is remarkable how the color changes as they advance in age. First, you have it as light green, and at this stage, it is edible. Then, if you leave it to ripen further, the color changes to yellow, orange, and eventually bright red. Because of these features, banana peppers can serve ornamental purposes in dishes.
Banana peppers can be classified as sweet peppers. If you haven’t had them before, they shouldn’t feel alien if you have had green pepper because they share similarities.
What do banana peppers taste like? The flavor of banana peppers can be regarded as sweet and tangy. When it comes to the level of heat, banana peppers rank quite low on the Scoville heat unit. Banana peppers are five times milder than the mildest jalapeno pepper. Its Scoville heat unit ranges from 0 to 500. The taste and flavor of banana peppers are unique among peppers and it is quite hard to not fall in love with it.
Banana peppers don’t serve any heat at all. If you are looking to have a hot pepper, it is not the right one for you. Banana peppers can be 21 times milder than a medium heat jalapeno pepper but they still have nutritional benefits.
Nutritional Benefits of Banana Peppers
Banana peppers have proven to be a very good source of vitamins C, B6, and K. It also plays host to minerals and nutrients like copper and dietary fiber. The presence of all these vitamins and minerals is accompanied by a low-calorie content. The combination of all the vitamins and minerals serves to improve the overall well-being of the human body and help prevent varying degrees of diseases.
Did you know that banana peppers can affect your mood? Research has proven that vitamin B6 can affect the production of serotonin and neurotransmitters in our brain. Neurotransmitters in the brain are responsible for mood changes, they can prevent depression, fatigue, pain, and anxiety. In this manner, vitamin B6 can be used to treat mood disorders and brain diseases. It can also be used to prevent the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin B6 does this by helping to control the aches and pain in the joints and muscles caused by inflammation.
The vitamin C present in banana peppers can help to reduce the chances of gout. A study carried out has shown that people who use vitamin C supplements have reduced their chances of having gout by 31 percent.
Vitamin C can also act as an antioxidant in the body, and help to relieve oxidative stress by protecting cells in the body from damage by free radicals.
Banana peppers also affect thyroid function due to its copper content. Copper combines with other minerals like calcium, zinc, and potassium to help balance the activities of the thyroid gland and prevent hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
The dietary fiber present in banana peppers gives it abilities that aid digestion in the body. Fiber adds bulk to stool and hastens the time it takes the body to extract waste from the digestive tract.
Culinary Uses of Banana Peppers
The sweet tangy flavor of banana peppers make it very easy to have a pickled form that can be enjoyed like a snack. If you walk into grocery stores, you would probably find pickled banana peppers on their shelves somewhere.
Fresh banana peppers would make a great topping for pizza, salads, and could even find use in sandwiches. Because of the colorful nature of banana peppers, they can bring liveliness to the dish you decide to integrate it into.
Banana peppers have thick walls that make it the perfect material for stuffed pepper recipes. It can serve as a great alternative to the usual bell or poblano peppers used for stuffed peppers. In the southern part of the United States, deep-fried banana peppers are a common sight. They are very popular and they serve as an excellent inclusion to side dishes for a barbecue or fried chicken.
If you do not fancy the heat in the cheese-filled jalapeno popper, you can replace the jalapeno with banana peppers. Banana peppers would work in salsa if pureed or chopped. However, any resulting sauce would be very mild.
Where Banana Peppers are Grown? How to Procure Them?
Banana peppers are also known as banana chili or yellow wax pepper. They are oblong and usually grow 2 to 3 inches in length. Banana peppers have a preference for warm climates but can still be grown in many climates. They like to be grown under constant direct sunlight.
Banana peppers get their name from their looks. They have a shape that can be likened to a short banana, and the yellow color just gives it away. It bears a physical resemblance to the fruit it is named after.
Banana peppers can be found easily in supermarkets or stores. Many of them have them for sale in the fresh produce section. Pickled banana peppers are more common and would be found in the aisles for toppings and condiments.
How Do You Know When Banana Peppers Are Ripe?
When it is time to harvest banana peppers, they appear yellow and snap off from the stem very easily. Yellow banana peppers have a milder flavor because the level of heat increases as the pepper matures. As they mature to the bright red banana peppers, you get more heat.
Facts You Don’t Know About Banana Peppers
- Pepperoncinis can be a substitute for banana peppers, but they are not the same thing. Pepperoncinis has a sweet taste that is tinged with bitterness while banana peppers are sweet and tangy.
- You can find banana peppers’ seeds online; if you wish to plant them in your garden.