Pepper vs. Capsicum — What's the Difference?

To sprinkle or season with ground Piper nigrum.

The genus name for bell peppers and chili peppers.

To distribute something in various places.

A term used in some regions for bell peppers.

A perennial climbing vine (Piper nigrum) native to India, widely cultivated for its long slender spikes of small fruit.

A tropical American plant producing bell peppers or chilies.

A pungent black or white spice produced from the dried fruit of this plant, used as a condiment.

Capsicum () is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit.

Any of several other plants of the genus Piper, such as cubeb, betel, and kava.

Any of various tropical American pepper plants of the genus Capsicum, especially any of the numerous cultivated forms of the species C. annuum and C. frutescens.

Any of several tropical American, cultivated varieties of capsicum, having podlike, many-seeded, fruit.

The fruit of any of these plants, especially the dried pungent types used as a condiment and in medicine.

The podlike fruit of any of these plants, varying in size, shape, color, and degree of pungency, with the milder types including the bell pepper and pimiento, and the more pungent types including the habanero.

Any of several tropical American plants, of the genus Capsicum, principally the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, that are cultivated as edible peppers.

Any of various condiments made from the more pungent varieties of capsicum, such as cayenne pepper, tabasco pepper, and chili. Also called hot pepper.

The spicy fruit of the above plants, the bell pepper.

Any of various other plants producing pungent fruits, such as the Szechuan pepper.

A genus of plants of many species, producing capsules or dry berries of various forms, which have an exceedingly pungent, biting taste, and when ground form the red or Cayenne pepper of commerce.

(Baseball) A warm-up exercise in which players standing a short distance from a batter field the ball and toss it to the batter, who hits each toss back to the fielders. Also called pepper game.

Any plant of the genus Capsicum (of the Solanaceae family, which are unrelated to Piper), and its fruit; red pepper; chili pepper; as, the bell pepper and the jalapeno pepper (both Capsicum annuum) and the habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense); .

To season or sprinkle with pepper.

Any of various tropical plants of the genus Capsicum bearing peppers

To sprinkle liberally; scatter

The fruit of such a plant, especially when used as a vegetable.

To strew something over

A topical preparation from chili peppers used for pain relief.

To strike with small missiles or gunfire.

A plant of the family Piperaceae.

(uncountable) A spice prepared from the fermented, dried, unripe berries of this plant.

A bell pepper, a fruit of the capsicum plant: red, green, yellow or white, hollow and containing seeds, and in very spicy and mild varieties.Surely "pepper" covers all varieties as in most of this definition, while "bell pepper" and "capsicum" only refer to the large roundish mild varieties specifically

(baseball) A game used by baseball players to warm up where fielders standing close to a batter rapidly return the batted ball to be hit again

(cryptography) A randomly-generated value that is added to another value (such as a password) prior to hashing. Unlike a salt, a new one is generated for each value and it is held separately from the value.

(transitive) To add pepper to.

(transitive) To strike with something made up of small particles.

(transitive) To cover with lots of (something made up of small things).

(transitive) To add (something) at frequent intervals.

To beat or thrash.

A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried berry, either whole or powdered, of the Piper nigrum.

The plant which yields pepper, an East Indian woody climber (Piper nigrum), with ovate leaves and apetalous flowers in spikes opposite the leaves. The berries are red when ripe. Also, by extension, any one of the several hundred species of the genus Piper, widely dispersed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the earth.

Any plant of the genus Capsicum (of the Solanaceae family, which are unrelated to Piper), and its fruit; red pepper; chili pepper; as, the bell pepper and the jalapeno pepper (both Capsicum annuum) and the habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense); . These contain varying levels of the substance capsaicin (C18H27O3N), which gives the peppers their hot taste. The habanero is about 25-50 times hotter than the jalapeno according to a scale developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. See also Capsicum and http://www.chili-pepper-plants.com/.

To sprinkle or season with pepper.

Figuratively: To shower shot or other missiles, or blows, upon; to pelt; to fill with shot, or cover with bruises or wounds; as, to pepper him with buckshot.

To fire numerous shots (at).

Climber having dark red berries (peppercorns) when fully ripe; southern India and Sri Lanka; naturalized in northern Burma and Assam

Any of various tropical plants of the genus Capsicum bearing peppers

Pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant of East India; use whole or ground

Sweet and hot varieties of fruits of plants of the genus Capsicum

Add pepper to;

Attack and bombard with or as if with missiles;

A ground spice from dried berries of Piper nigrum.

Any fruit from the Capsicum genus.

To bombard or pelt with something.

Yes, in some regions like Australia and India, bell peppers are commonly referred to as capsicums.

There are several types, ranging from sweet bell peppers to various hot chili peppers.

Because they might refer to the ground spice for seasoning and the vegetable for its flavor and texture.

The spice from Piper nigrum is due to piperine, while the heat in Capsicum peppers is from capsaicin.

Chili peppers from the Capsicum genus can be much hotter than black pepper, depending on the variety.

Yes, capsicums are rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C, and have various health benefits.

While both add a kick, they have different flavor profiles. It depends on the desired taste of the dish.

Not necessarily. While some red peppers are hot, bell peppers can be red and are not spicy.

Black and white pepper both come from the Piper nigrum plant.

No, capsicums vary in heat, with bell peppers being mild and others like habaneros being very spicy.

Capsicums are best stored in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.

Both are foundational seasonings that enhance the natural flavors of food.

Pink pepper isn't true pepper. It comes from the berries of the Brazilian pepper tree.

Often yes, but specific capsicum varieties might maintain their original color even when fully ripe.

Removing the seeds and membranes can reduce the heat of many capsicum varieties.