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Bell pepper (also known as Jon's Head or a pepper in the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland and a capsicum in Australia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore and New Zealand), is a cultivar group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''.〔(Pharmacognosy and Health Benefits of Capsicum Peppers (Bell Peppers) )〕 Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, chocolate/brown, vanilla/white, and purple. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers". Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The ribs and seeds inside bell peppers may be consumed, but some find the taste to be bitter.〔http://www.livestrong.com/article/447429-should-i-eat-a-raw-bell-pepper/〕 Pepper seeds were carried to Spain in 1493 and from there spread to other European, African, and Asian countries. Today, China is the world's largest pepper producer, followed by Mexico and Indonesia. Ideal growing conditions for bell peppers include warm soil, ideally , that is kept moist but not waterlogged.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gardenersgardening.com/growingpeppers.html )〕 Bell peppers are sensitive to an abundance of moisture and extreme temperatures. == Nomenclature == The misleading name "pepper" was given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe. At that time, peppercorns, the fruit of an unrelated plant originating from India, ''Piper nigrum'', was a highly prized condiment; the name "pepper" was at that time applied in Europe to all known spices with a hot and pungent taste and so naturally extended to the newly discovered ''Capsicum'' genus. The most commonly used alternative name of the plant family, "chile", is of Mexican origin, from the Nahuatl word ''chilli'' or ''xilli''. Bell peppers are botanically fruits, but are generally considered in culinary contexts to be vegetables. The bell pepper is the only member of the ''Capsicum'' genus that does not produce capsaicin,〔http://www.chiliwonders.com/chili.scoville.htm〕 a lipophilic chemical that can cause a strong burning sensation when it comes in contact with mucous membranes. The lack of capsaicin in bell peppers is due to a recessive form of a gene that eliminates capsaicin and, consequently, the "hot" taste usually associated with the rest of the ''Capsicum'' genus. This recessive gene is overwritten in the Mexibelle pepper, a hybrid variety of bell pepper that produces small amounts of capsaicin (and is thus mildly pungent). The terms "bell pepper", "pepper" or in India, Australia and New Zealand "capsicum", are often used for any of the large bell shaped fruits, regardless of their color. In British and Canadian English, the fruit is simply referred to as a "pepper", or additionally by color (as in the term "green pepper", for example), whereas in the United States and Malaysia, they are usually referred to as "bell peppers". In parts of the U.S. Midwest, bell peppers are called "mangoes." 〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://dare.wisc.edu/words/100-entries/mango )〕 Canadian English uses both "bell pepper" and "pepper" interchangeably. In some countries in Europe, the term "paprika", which has its roots in the word for pepper, is used – sometimes referred to by their color (e.g., "groene paprika", "gele paprika", in Dutch, which are green and yellow, respectively). The bell pepper is called "パプリカ" (''papurika'') or "ピーマン" (''piiman'', from Spanish ''pimento'' and Portuguese ''pimentão'') in Japan. Paprika also refers to the powdered spice made from the fruits in the ''Capsicum'' genus. In Switzerland it is mostly called "peperoni", which is the Italian name of the fruit. In France, it is called "poivron", with the same root as "poivre" (meaning "pepper") or "piment". In South Korea, the word "피망" (''pimang'' from the Japanese "ピーマン" (''piiman'')) refers to green bell peppers, whereas "파프리카" (''papurika'' from paprika) refers to bell peppers of other colors. In Sri Lanka it is called "Maalu Miris", used as a vegetable instead of a spice. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「bell pepper」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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