Middle of the week house break, ha.
I saw these in our local HEB the other day and I thought, what the what?
I wasn't even sure what it was at first. A weird apple? A strange tomato?
I turned them over for the sticker and it's a pepper! A beautiful pepper I might add. Of course, I had to pick up a couple to expand our horizons, ha. I got home and did some online research.
They are called Aloha peppers (in Europe they are also known as Enjoya peppers and originally Striped Holland Bells). It is a bell pepper variety with distinctive red and yellow stripes. They originated in the Netherlands from a natural hybrid/mutation of a yellow pepper that produced red stripes. Their walls are thick, making them great for stuffing, cooking and of course eating raw. They have a sweet crunchy bite with a bit of a citrusy note. The best part?
They are stunning when cut up! I was hoping to try growing some in the future but being a naturally occurring hybrid/mutation, the seeds inside are growing from the yellow portion and the red stripes are just a mutation that will not happen again.
*update* there are, apparently seeds available for Striped Holland Bells! We just might have to try growing them when we get our gardens up!
We'll enjoy them when we see them. They certainly are a conversation starter!
They are so pretty. I know if you let green peppers stay on the plant, they will start turning red after a short time.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. They would be fun to try
ReplyDeleteIf I ever see them at the store, I might try one ... depends on the price!
ReplyDeleteThe Aloha/Striped Holland Bells are so pretty! The sweet-citrusy taste is intriguing. I’ll be on the lookout for those in the grocery store and also for the seeds.
ReplyDeleteI used to be able to get those at the store. They were wonderful. My first choice every time. I enjoy eating fresh bell peppers with garlic hummus.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw it I thought it looked like capsicum and I was right
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