Peppers Around the World: Global Cuisines That Rely on Them
Most people in the United States are familiar with bell peppers — especially the green variety that shows up in everything from fajitas to stir-fries. But while bell peppers are popular here, they’re far from
the most common peppers used worldwide. Across the globe, cooks turn to a dazzling array of peppers — some sweet, some smoky, and many fiery — to define their national cuisines.
Mexico: The Birthplace of Chilies
Mexico is the cradle of chili peppers, home to dozens of varieties that shape its cuisine.
Ancho, guajillo, and pasilla are the “holy trinity” of dried chilies that form the base of classic moles, giving them their deep, earthy complexity. Fresh peppers appear everywhere: jalapeños in pico de gallo, poblanos stuffed for chile rellenos, and serranos in bright green salsas.
đź«‘ Clarification: A chipotle is simply a smoked jalapeño, not a distinct variety of pepper.Â
Italy: The Spice of Simplicity
Though not native to Europe, peppers became a beloved staple in Italian kitchens. Peperoncini — in Italy — refers to small, spicy red chilies that are usually dried and sprinkled over pizza or sautéed with garlic in pasta aglio e olio. Calabria is especially famous for its chilies, celebrated in condiments like ’nduja, a spicy, spreadable salami flavored with crushed red peppers.
🫑 Clarification: The “pepperoncini” commonly sold in the U.S. — pale green, pickled peppers often tucked into salads and sandwiches — are not the same as
Italian peperoncini. In Italy, those mild green peppers are called friggitelli. They are generally sautéed or fried fresh in olive oil, not pickled.
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India: A Fiery Embrace
When
Portuguese traders introduced chilies to India in the 16th century, they quickly displaced black pepper as the country’s preferred spice. Today, chilies are woven into nearly every region’s cooking: mild Kashmiri chilies lend brilliant red color to curries; green chilies add freshness to dals; and tiny bird’s-eye chilies bring searing heat to pickles and chutneys.
🫑 Clarification: “Chili powder” in India doesn’t mean the same spice blend as American chili powder (a mix of cumin, paprika, and chili). Instead, it usually refers to pure ground dried chilies, with Kashmiri chili powder especially prized for its bright color and moderate heat.
Chili blends like garam masala or sambhar masala often layer multiple pepper varieties for nuanced spice.
China: Fire and Fragrance
In Sichuan cuisine,
peppers are paired with numbing Sichuan peppercorns for the signature málà flavor — hot and tingly all at once. Dried red chilies star in kung pao chicken and twice-cooked pork, while chili oil is drizzled over noodles and dumplings. In Hunan, chilies are even more dominant: stir-fries, braises, and condiments often include multiple types of fresh and dried chilies, creating food that’s bold, fragrant, and addictive.
🫑 Clarification: Sichuan peppercorns aren’t peppers at all — they come from the prickly ash tree.
Hungary: The Land of Paprika
Paprika — ground dried peppers ranging from sweet to
fiery — is the backbone of Hungarian cooking. Goulash, chicken paprikash, and stews all owe their color and warmth to paprika. Hungarian peppers aren’t just about heat but about layered flavor; a sweet paprika gives a gentle warmth, while a hot variety adds sharpness.
🫑 Clarification: “Paprika” is not one
single spice — Hungarian cooks distinguish between sweet, semi-sweet, and hot paprikas, each from different pepper cultivars.Â
The Middle East and North Africa: Preserved Heat
Peppers are equally important across the Middle East and North Africa. In Tunisia, harissa — a paste of chilies,
garlic, and spices — is used as both a marinade and condiment. Turkish cuisine features biber salçası (red pepper paste), stirred into soups and pilafs. In Morocco, peppers appear in tagines, often paired with preserved lemons for a balance of bright and spicy.
đź«‘ Clarification: Many Middle Eastern
cuisines use both fresh chilies and dried pepper pastes, often interchangeably. The preserved versions not only concentrate flavor but also extend the pepper harvest through the year.
The United States: A Patchwork of Pepper Traditions
From Louisiana hot sauce to Tex-Mex jalapeño poppers, peppers are
deeply woven into American cooking. In the Southwest, Hatch chilies are roasted in late summer and frozen for use all year. In the Midwest, pickled banana peppers brighten everything from pizza to Italian beef sandwiches. In the South, cayenne gives gumbo and jambalaya their distinctive kick.
🫑 Clarification: Hatch peppers aren’t a single variety but a group of New Mexico peppers grown in the Hatch Valley — prized for their unique balance of heat and earthiness. Their flavor can vary depending on the harvest.
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