Why are stuffed peppers always made with green peppers?

[paulispumonti]

I love red peppers, but whenever I order stuffed peppers in a restaurant ( or buy the Stouffer's red box!) they are always made with green peppers. The bitterness of a cooked green pepper does not always compliment the filling. So I often end up eating the filling at which point I question whether I should have just ordered a cheeseburger!

Does anyone make stuffed red peppers???? Wouldn't they cook the same as a green pepper?

The only purpose I see for green peppers is to be sauteed with onions on a roll with italian sausage

[Janet from Richmond]

Since stuffed peppers are somewhat of what I think of as 'peasant' food (for lack of a better term), I can see cost as one reason why green peppers are used rather than red, yellow or orange, especially when making in quantity.

[TongoRad]

I prefer the greens on a sausage and peppers also, but I could go either way with a stuffed pepper. I bet the heart of the matter doesn't rest on preferences, though- rather price is a consideration. The green ones are usuallu much cheaper.

[rmoskow]

I was just discussing this with a friend 2 nights ago! I suspect that the green peppers we get now may not taste as good as the green peppers of yore- that's the case for so many fruits and veg. But I don't see any good reason to use green peppers now, unless you are just barely cooking the stuffed entity so the pepper is heated but more raw than cooked. Plus, they're not easy to eat. I suggested that my buddy try cutting the peppers into wedges and mounding the filling on top then running them under the broiler. The filling will protect the pepper from the direct heat, and the whole deal could more easily be cut into bites that include pepper and filling.

[PaulaT]

Maybe the simple answer is that green peppers are cheaper-
I will do Stuffed anything - red pepper, Italian peppers, Poblano peppers, Jalepeno peppers, cabbage, zucchini, eggplant etc.....

[FlyFish]

I routinely make stuffed peppers with red bell peppers and, if I'm making enough of them, I'll include some yellow and maybe orange ones as well, along with some green. All the different colors look great on a serving platter. They all cook the same, but of course there are obvious taste differences between the greens vs. the ripe ones.

[Sherri]

Peppers are stuffed the world over and not always made with green peppers. The green ones are most familiar variety in the US and I suspect that's why they are ubiquitious. But they're not the only game in town.

I have stuffed multi-colored peppers for as long as I can remember. As a slightly-reformed gardener, I grew "colored" peppers before they were chic because I liked the flavors. Rice,basil,Parmesan-stuffed red bell peppers are delicious. Serve corn- scrambled cheese-y eggs in yellow bells for breakfast. There's nothing sacred about green bell peppers and it's not mandatory to use the rice-ground beef-tomato filling either!

[dolores]

Green peppers are cheap. I hate green peppers.

I always make stuffed peppers with red or yellow or orange peppers, and they taste muuuuch better.

[Sherri]

I believe that green peppers are less expensive than other colors because they're not considered "gourmet" peppers but instead, they're "normal" peppers. If yellow peppers, which are no more difficult or costly to grow than greens, were the norm, they'd be the cheap peppers and the unusual greens would be more expensive.

Chicken livers and eggs were once very costly, luxury items. Today, with increased production, they flood the market at inexpensive cost. Supply and Demand 101.

An entire thread could be devoted to what some call "normal food" and I use the term purposely. When I taught at a culinary institute, students would often use this term to describe foods with which they were familiar. Anything they did not know or eat regularly not not "normal". Defining "normal" was always in interesting topic, especially since it varies so widely. The good news is that after some time, being exposed to many different foods (funny, they never called them "abnormal"), most discarded their parochial terminology and continued to stretch their horizons.

[FlyFish]

All (having said that, someone will no doubt produce an exception, so perhaps I should say "almost all") bell peppers start life green, and turn their characteristic color upon ripening. Most cultivars - or at least the most common cultivars - ripen red, so that's why the red ones are somewhat more common than yellow or orange. I'd always assumed the extra expense was related to the extra time they need to spend on the plant before harvesting, but you're probably right that some of it may be related to the "gourmet" factor.

[TongoRad]

It's not just the extra time, but you can actually get *more* green peppers per plant- just harvest them while the plant is still flowering and it will continue to produce pods. The flavor differences are because the chlorophyl is converted to carotene when ripe; not as 'aggressive' of a flavor and sweeter.

[FlyFish]

I don't believe that latter part is correct. Ripening of bell peppers and other fruits (yes, fruits) is a very complex chemical process involving numerous organic compounds, some of which contribute to flavor, others not. Certainly, chlorophyll content decreases and carotenoids (along with other pigment compounds such as anthocyanins and betalains) increase in the case of peppers, but chlorophyll is not converted to carotenoids, it simply degrades, which results in the loss of green color. I suspect that the loss of chlorophyll, in itself, has a limited effect on flavor, but I have no facts to support that. Here's a link to a Ph.D thesis from Virginia Polytech that goes into considerable detail on the chemistry of ripening peppers:

http://tinyurl.com/5xy7un

[TongoRad]

Cool- thanks for the link. I'll definitely check it out.

[raytamsgv]

Not only do you get more per plant, but earlier harvests reduces the chance of pests or environmental conditions ruining the harvest.

[laliz]

I grew up with stuffed green peppers and HATED them. It wasn't until I discovered red peppers that stuffed peppers became a dish I love.

The price difference between green and red (or orange or yellow) is drastic right now. .79 vs 2.99

[Aromatherapy]

In my experience ripe peppers are *much* more likely to get bad spots and/or critter bites, so preventing that is an expense. Also they're a bit more fragile.

[Judith]

I thought the red ones were the ripened version of the green ones, but the yellow ones were their own thing?

[FlyFish]

No, the yellow ones (and all the other colors) start out green. I was going to provide a link to the Wikipedia article that says that, but some folks don't consider Wiki very authoritative, so here's a link to the LSU Agriculture School site that says the same thing:

http://tinyurl.com/6jymuk

[Miss Needle]

I also think what may be involved is that red peppers are more prone to rot than green ones, which means that the store would have to throw some of them away if they don't sell it in time, leading to an increase in cost.

I also hate green peppers.

[mrbozo]

I think it's a flavour, and price, thing.

Green bell peppers are basically unripe peppers and hence do not possess the sweetness of ripened peppers. However, I find their flavour lends an earthy note that wonderfully complements beef, tomato, onion, garlic, chicken livers, chicken meat and pork.

For me ripe (red) peppers have a sweetness that is easily overpowered by stronger flavours. I prefer them combined with chicken, fish, seafood and other vegetables.

[Will Owen]

I too grew up with stuffed green peppers - I was eating one stuffed with scalloped corn for lunch the day WW2 ended, and wondered why the church-bell next door was ringing - and I always loved them. Still do, but I'm married to a sweet-pepper hater - that's ALL colors. She loves chiles, though. I intend to try her out on stuffed poblanos one of these days.

[wolfe]

Will, why shouldn't they have been ringing? They are bell peppers.

[DockPotato]

Try a Hungarian Stuffed Pepper recipe using Hungarian Wax Peppers - they're yellow ones, Myself I like green peppers for that sharp taste, but the wax peppers bring another angle to the taste which we both prefer here.

[Eat_Nopal]

I guess you are just referring to Italian & American traditions? In Mexico... there are many types of peppers that get stuffed... the white-ish Gueros stuffed with Crab or Shrimp Pate... the Oaxacan Chile de Agua stuffed with Lobster, reconstituted Anchos stuffed with Mushrooms.. or reconstituted Chipotles stuffed with Potatoe-Chorizo hash... that is just the tip of the ice berg.

[kare_raisu]

friend makes gueros capeados and stuffed with oax chicken picadillo - out of control. my favorite chile relleno. the chicken and guero chile together...gawd!

[Sam Fujisaka]

I look for smallish peppers. Otherwise there is too much stuffing per pepper. Often that means green ones.

[cassis]

While it is true that green peppers will turn yellow then red on the plant, and that red and yellow peppers were once green, I think they may be different varieties because the shape is often different. Green peppers are squat and stocky, while red peppers are usually much longer, and you would have a hard time making them stand up in the pan.

[dkenworthy]

There are lots of hybrids of peppers (of all kinds, not just bells). The classic American bell pepper (stocky, big, fairly thin walls) does ripen to red eventually. The peppers that are sold as red tend to be bred to have more brilliant color. The other peppers (yellow, purple, orange, "chocolate") start green (well, maybe not the purple ones) and ripen to a different color (than red) are bred to be that color. There are 2 common peppers sold as red peppers, the normal "bell" pepper ripened and the pimento (which is more heart shaped and has thicker walls).

[Passadumkeg]

I think this goes back to the '50's and the McCarthy Witch Hunts. One who cooked stuffed RED peppers could be considered a communist anbe brought before the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities. Green was much safer, it had no political inuendo. But this reason is largely lost today with in the corporate media. "Better dead than Red"

[mrbozo]

Ah, the Greening of America (or How I Got Stuffed and Learned to Like a Vegetable).

[dolores]

Good post, Passadumkeg, but Kermit might disagree with you.

[paulispumonti]

ahh, the answer I've been looking for- Brilliant - I will stick with green peppers, just for July 4th though!!!!

[intrepid]

ive only had stuffed peppers with red peppers

[Jimbosox04]

Maybe to make everyone happy we could put a yellow pepper inside the green pepper, and a red inside the yellow. In the spirit of the "Turduckin" we can have the multi-stuffed pepper.

[shantihhh]

Stuffed Bell Peppers are originally an Eastern European dish called Dolma. Also Sarma are a close cousin where "soured" heads of cabbage are made andf the leaves wrap the filling.. Now the big difference is they stuff a pale cream coloured pepper that is sweet with no bitterness. Also they make these arma using a mixture of ground meats such as beef and lamb or pork. They often are cooked on a bed sauerkraut with double smoked pork ribs or leran bacon.

These are wonderfu nothing like the bitter icky Americanb green stuffed peppers.

I also make shrimp stuffed red sweet peppers-yummy!

There is a gorgeous bell pepper available called Tequilla, these are arge blocky, from Holland, colours on one pepper range from cream to apricot, to lavender to orange and purple-simply gorgeous and so sweet. Eaten raw they are yummy too!

[Eat_Nopal]

IMHO... bell peppers are the absolute worst of the Capsicum realm... I don't understand why people like them... there hundreds of superior pepper varieties out there.

[Jen76]

I agree. Since bell peppers don't agree with me, I like stuffed mild yellow chilis. They are heavenly and actually much sweeter than bell peppers.

[howboy]

In Lee Bailey's cookbook, Country Weekends, he has a wonderful, simple, delicious recipe for stuffed red peppers.