Banana Pepper

Description/Taste
Banana peppers are slender and elongated, averaging 5 to 12 centimeters in length, and have a signature curved and conical shape with tapered, pointed ends. The skin is waxy, smooth, and ripens from yellow to orange or red when fully mature. Underneath the surface, the flesh is thick and crisp, encasing a central cavity filled with many small, round cream-colored seeds. Banana chile peppers are mild with little heat and have a tangy, slightly sweet flavor that is enhanced maturity.

Seasons/Availability
Banana chile peppers are available in the summer.

Current Facts
Banana chile peppers, botanically classified as Capsicum annuum, are bright yellow, sweet pods that grow on small leafy plants and are members of the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Also known as Sweet Banana chiles, Yellow Wax peppers, and Sweet Frying peppers, Banana chile peppers earn their name from their similarity in color and shape to bananas. Banana chile peppers are a mild variety ranging 0-500 SHU on the Scoville scale and are known for their sweet flavor used in both raw and cooked culinary applications. This pepper is also a popular home garden variety as it can be grown in small spaces, is easy to grow, and is a prolific producer, growing 25 to 30 pods per plant.

Nutritional Value
Banana chile peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help boost the immune system and produce collagen. The pepper also contains minerals such as manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and iron, and vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamine, folate, and niacin.

Applications
Banana chile peppers are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as frying, baking, and roasting. When used fresh, Banana chile peppers can be chopped and used as a garnish on salads, hot dogs, pizzas, and sandwiches or blended into salsa. The peppers can also be pickled and served on cheese boards or used as a topping on cooked meats. In addition to fresh and pickled preparations, Banana chile peppers are popularly stuffed and fried, cooked into pepper jelly, or roasted with other vegetables and meats. The sweet peppers can even be used to top ice cream. Banana chile peppers pair well with cured meats, Italian sausage, fried chicken, roasted ham, bacon, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, olives, cabbage, shallots, spinach, arugula, Romano cheese, rice, and quinoa. The peppers will keep 2-3 weeks when stored whole, unwashed, and loosely placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Ethnic/Cultural Info
In the United States, Banana chile peppers can be found fresh at grocery stores and local markets, but these peppers are often the victim of false identity and have been met with mixed reactions from consumers. When young and bright yellow, Banana chile peppers are very similar in appearance, color, and shape to mild pepperoncini peppers and medium to hot Hungarian wax peppers. All three of these peppers are also used similarly in recipes but have subtle flavor differences and levels of heat. Due to their resemblance, the peppers are sometimes mislabeled in stores sending consumers home with a hot Hungarian wax pepper when they think they are purchasing a mild Banana pepper. The peppers are also almost indistinguishable when sliced causing even more confusion at restaurants carrying multiple pepper varieties for sandwiches and salads. Despite the mistaken identities, Banana chile peppers have remained a popular variety for home cooking and are a favorite pepper to deep-fry in the southern United States and served with poultry or ham.

Geography/History
Banana chile peppers are descendants of peppers native to Hungary that were first introduced to the United States in 1932. From this introduction, the Corneli Seed Company developed the Banana pepper from a mutation of the original seeds in 1940 and continued to breed the variety as a popular, sweet pepper. Today Banana chile peppers are a favorite home garden variety and can be found at local farmers markets and specialty grocers in the United States and Europe.