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Domestication of bell peppers (capsicum annuum) was primarlity in Mesoamerica, especially central-eastern Mexico, extending into northern central America
The Valley of Mexico, Guerrero, Puebla, and Tamaulipas / Tehuacán Valleys early cultivations.
Wild capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum (“chiltepin”) was used 8,000–10,000 years ago; and, the domestication process was underway 6,000–4,500 years ago
The name pepper was given by Europeans when Christopher Columbus brought the plant back to Europe
At that time, black pepper, or peppercorns, from the unrelated plant: piper nigrum, originating from India, was common.
Most common colors of bell peppers are green, yellow, orange and red
Green peppers are simply unripe fruit of the same varieties. Red peppers are fully ripe capsicum annuum. Yellow and orange are color variants that are modern horticultural breeds, not ancient types
They are about 92% water
Check it out with some more neolithic architecture today!
Bibliography: USDA Database (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2258590/nutrients)
Kraft, K. H., et al. (2014). Multiple lines of evidence for the origin of domesticated chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, in Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(17), 6165–6170.
MacNeish, R. S. (1967). Excavations in the Tehuacán Valley. University of Texas Press
Smith, B. D. (2005). Reassessing the revolution: New radiocarbon dates and the timing of agriculture in Mesoamerica. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102(27), 9438–9443
Perry, L., et al. (2007). Starch fossils and the domestication and dispersal of chili peppers (Capsicum spp. L.) in the Americas. Science, 315(5814), 986–988
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