Brown Holland bell peppers, AKA Chocolate Beauty peppers, are a botanical fruit and member of the Capsicum annuum family, the most extensively cultivated species of the five domesticated capiscums. Brown Holland bell peppers are not a pepper as their name suggests. The name pepper was designated to chiles due to the peppery presence in the fruit’s flavor. The specific color of bell peppers is determined by the accumulation of specific carotenoids leading to salmon, yellow, orange, red and brown colored fruits.

Brown Holland bell peppers are a sweet pepper variety that are distinguished by their unique coloring. Once the fruit matures, its skin develops a glossy rich mahogany brown tone. Inside its thick lobed walls is a brick red meaty flesh with an edible succulent-firm cavity containing bitter seeds and spongy core. Brown Holland bell peppers are not hot due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the heat found in other peppers. Brown Holland bell peppers have a fruity sweet flavor due to the fruit’s increased sugar content as they are harvested at their peak ripeness.

Nutritional Value

Capsicum fruits contain large levels of carotenes and they are an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Serving Ideas

Brown Holland bell peppers are often eaten raw and highlighted in a crudite or stuffed and roasted. They can also be stir-fried, cooked down and pureed into a sauce or added to soups, stews and casseroles. Note that cooking will fade the pepper’s mahogany coloring. The fruits can be dried and ground to powder form, which is commonly known and referred to as paprika. Complimentary pairings include tomatoes, cheeses both melting and fresh type, sausages, ground lamb and beef, garlic, ginger, cumin, oregano, poultry, cream, shredded pork, lemon, dill and onions.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

The first known reference to brown bell peppers was in 1681 by an English pirate in Panama.

Geography/History

The three species of Capsicum, C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense all evolved from a single common ancestor of wild peppers, which date back to 5000 B.C. Bell peppers are indigenous to tropical South America. Portuguese and Spanish explorers are credited with spreading sweet peppers from the New World to the Old World. Brown Holland bell peppers have historically been grown in Holland, where the practice of cultivating the peppers in hot houses under controlled temperature and light was pioneered, allowing for consistent fruit and higher yields. Hence, the fruits' given name is Holland. Brown Holland bell peppers are an heirloom variety, thus their seeds can be saved and be sown for future fruiting the following season.

Seasons/Availability

Brown Holland bell peppers are available from early summer into fall.