Bell Pepper Myths: Busted!

I’ve recently received questions about Bell Peppers as there are different facts or myths circulating around on social. I looked into it, read a bunch of trusted reports and sites and am here to clarify the mystery for those who asked:

Are bell peppers with four lobes sweeter? Nope - the sweetness of a pepper is determined by the seed variety and how ripe the pepper is, not by how many bumps on the bottom it has.

Do bell peppers have a gender and you can tell which by the bumps, male = 3 bumps or female = 4 bumps on their bottoms? Nope – again, it’s based on the variety of seed used to grow the pepper. Peppers aren’t limited to 3 or 4 bumps, some have 2, others have 5. It’s the flower on the pepper plant that is responsible for pollination and on a pepper plant, the reproductive system is considered both male and female so they can self-pollinate. That’s certainly handy.

Do bell peppers turn from green to yellow to orange to red as they ripen and mature? Green peppers are the only bell pepper that isn’t a variety of its own. Apparently, green peppers are actually one of the other colour variety but picked while green before it could change colour. Orange, yellow and red peppers all start out green and as they each ripen, they turn the colour of their seed variety. I can testify to this as in my garden, I have grown red, yellow and orange bell peppers and they all start out green!

Is a bell pepper a vegetable or a fruit? Surprise, it is a fruit! A fruit by definition is a food that contains seeds, so peppers with their little white seeds, are fruit. Zucchini is a fruit, as is a pumpkin! I love this fun fact!

Any other questions for me?