Pepper, a species from the nightshade family (lat. Solanaceae), originates from tropical America. According to Hazenbush, the center of origin is Mexico and Guatemala, from where it spread throughout South America to Argentina and Chile.
It was introduced to Europe only after Columbus’s discovery of America, initially as a spice. Due to its pungency, Europeans began using it as a substitute for black pepper, and it quickly spread throughout Southern Europe. The first peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) reached North America from Europe rather than from Central and South America.
Annually, about 3,700 hectares of pepper are planted in Croatia, with the majority of production, around 82%, occurring in the continental zone. Approximately 30,000 tons of fruit are produced each year, most of which are consumed fresh or preserved as pickles in households. The average pepper yields in Croatia are quite low, slightly over 7 tons per hectare. More than a quarter of the total pepper production is located in Virovitica-Podravina County. In addition to domestic production, Croatia imports around 3,000 tons of fresh and frozen peppers annually, mainly from Turkey, Spain, Hungary, and Italy.
Nutritional Value of Peppers
Peppers are a food with significant nutritional value due to their vitamin and mineral content, as well as the presence of essential nutrients, as shown in the table.
Peppers are particularly notable among vegetables for their impressive vitamin C content, with fresh peppers containing up to four times more vitamin C than oranges. In addition to their high nutritional value, peppers are low in energy (20 kcal/100 g of fresh fruit). Some pepper cultivars contain the alkaloid capsaicin, which gives them their spicy taste. The highest concentration of capsaicin is found in the inner part of the fruit, around the seeds. Peppers are used in the diet raw, cooked, as a spice, and can also be preserved by pickling or freezing.
Table 1: Nutritional Value of Fresh Peppers
| Nutrients | Amount (%) |
|---|---|
| Crude Protein | 0.5 – 1.96 |
| Crude Fats | 0.2 – 0.95 |
| Carbohydrates | 3.33 – 8.0 |
| of which Sugars | 3.1 – 4.8 |
| Fiber | 1.8 – 2.2 |
| Minerals | 0.5 – 0.7 |
| Water | 85.0 – 93.0 |
Table 2: Mineral Composition of Peppers
| Minerals | Amount (mg/100 g fresh fruit) |
|---|---|
| Sodium | 0.5 – 13 |
| Potassium | 160 – 435 |
| Magnesium | 12 |
| Calcium | 6 – 20 |
| Phosphorus | 22 – 38 |
| Iron | 0.4 – 1.7 |
| Sulfur | 91 |
Table 3: Vitamin Content in Pepper Fruit
| Vitamins | Amount (mg/100 g fresh fruit) |
|---|---|
| Carotene | 0.11 – 3 |
| Vitamin E | 0.25 – 1 |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.04 – 0.09 |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.03 – 0.07 |
| Vitamin B3 | 0.2 – 0.4 |
| Folic Acid | 0.004 – 0.011 |
| Vitamin C | 91 – 260 |
