Bell
peppers have been cultivated for more than 9000 years, with the earliest
cultivation having taken place in South and Central America. While the name
"pepper" was given to the food by European colonizers of North
America who first came across it in the 1500 - 1600's and then transported it
back to Europe, the original name for this food in Spanish was pimiento.
Because
bell peppers can be grown in a variety of climates and are popular in cuisines
throughout the world, they can frequently be found on small farms in North
America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and
parts of Asia. Terms of commercial production, China has become by far the
largest producer of bell peppers and produced 14 million tons in 2007. At about
2 million tons, Mexico is the second largest commercial producer, followed by
the United States at approximately 1 million tons.
United
States, California and Florida are the largest bell pepper producing states. In
terms of chili pepper production, New Mexico currently stands in first place.
The average American adult consumes about 16 pounds of peppers per year,
including almost 9.5 pounds of bell peppers.
Christine
put a twist on stuffed bell peppers. Try this easy and tasty recipe Cheesy
Stuffed Pepper Casserole.
Cheesy
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Copyrighted
2013, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.
Ingredients:
1
Directions:
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.
Brown
meat over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers, salt, pepper, garlic powder
and Worcestershire sauce, stirring and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in rice and
tomato sauce.
Pour
meat mixture into 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle cheese. Place in the oven until
cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
