Peppers Belong to the Solanaceous Fruit Vegetables: Classification Characteristics and Introduction to Common Varieties

Peppers belong to the solanaceous fruit vegetables and are botanically classified under the Solanaceae family, genus Capsicum, making them crops of the same family as tomatoes and eggplants. According to the agricultural biological classification of vegetables, peppers are classified as fruit vegetables because their fruit is the edible part, and they are also customarily referred to simply as solanaceous fruit vegetables. Their fruit is a berry type, and the skin and placenta contain capsaicin, which is precisely the main source of the pungent taste.

Peppers are mostly annual or limited-perennial herbaceous plants that prefer warmth and ample sunlight and are not tolerant of frost. The fruit forms vary greatly, ranging from slender line peppers and clustered facing-heaven peppers to thick-fleshed bell peppers, and the level of pungency differs markedly depending on the variety and growing environment.

Commonly cultivated varieties can be roughly divided into several categories. The bell pepper group, mainly for fresh eating, such as sweet peppers and persimmon peppers, has thick flesh and a mild or even absent pungency; the dried chili group, mainly for seasoning, such as facing-heaven peppers, millet peppers and line peppers, is intensely pungent and mostly used for drying and processing; semi-pungent varieties in between are suitable for stir-frying or pickling.

Peppers contain multiple nutrients such as vitamin C, and can be eaten fresh as a vegetable or processed into condiments such as dried chilies and chili powder, making them an important vegetable and seasoning ingredient on the daily dining table. When planting, it is advisable to choose well-drained soil and pay attention to keeping the seedling stage warm and to water and fertilizer management during the fruiting stage, which usually yields a fairly good harvest.