pimiento
{{Short description|Cultivar of Capsicum annuum}}
{{distinguish|Pimenta (disambiguation){{!}}Pimenta}}
{{Redirect|Pimento|other uses|Pimento (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| image = Cherry peppers.jpg
| image_caption = Pimiento peppers
| species = Capsicum annuum
| cultivar = Pimiento
| module = {{Infobox pepper
| embed = yes
| heat = Mild
| scoville = 100–500
}}
}}
A pimiento or pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) that measures {{convert|7-10|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|2-3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=off}} wide (medium, elongate).
Description and habitat
Pimientos can have various colors including yellow, green, red, and maroon. Like most peppers, immature pods are green and develop other colors as they reach maturity.{{Cite book|last1=Bosland|first1=Paul W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UIrC1Qx4QfEC&q=pimiento&pg=PA207|title=Peppers: Vegetable and Spice Capsicums|last2=Votava|first2=Eric J.|last3=Votava|first3=Eric M.|date=2012|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-1-84593-825-3|language=en}}
The flesh of the pimiento is sweet, succulent, and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper. Some varieties of the pimiento type are hot, including the Floral Gem and Santa Fe Grande varieties.
Peppers grow in hardiness zones 4 through 12.{{Cite web |title=Pimiento Overview |url=https://www.smartgardener.com/plants/408-peppers-pimiento/overview |website=Smart Gardener}}
==Name==
Spanish {{lang|es|{{linktext|pimiento}}}} and Portuguese {{lang|pt|{{linktext|pimento}}}} both come from Latin {{lang|la|{{linktext|pigmentum}}}} ("pigment; coloring") and came to be used for bell peppers. The English borrowed "pimiento" and "pimento" as loanwords for what is distinguished in Spanish as {{lang|es|{{linktext|pimentón}}}} and in Portuguese as {{lang|pt|pimentão}}.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
Note that in Jamaican English pimento usually refers to allspice (Pimenta dioica).{{cite web|url=http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm/lectures/pimento.html|title=Jamaican Pimento|publisher=UWI Department of Chemistry}}
Uses
"Sweet" (i.e., neither sour nor savory) pimiento peppers are the familiar red stuffing found in prepared Spanish or Greek green olives. Originally, the pimiento was hand-cut into tiny pieces, then hand-stuffed into each olive to balance out the olive's otherwise strong, salty flavor. Despite the popularity of the combination, this production method was very costly and time-intensive.
More recently, for ease of production, pimientos are often puréed, then formed into tiny strips with the help of a natural gum (such as sodium alginate or guar gum). This allows olive stuffing to be mechanized, speeding the process and lowering production costs.{{cite web |access-date=2024-01-08 |first=Kara |last=Kovalchik |date=2023-08-01 |orig-date=A version of this story originally ran 2014-02-07; it has been updated. |title=What Are Pimentos, And How Do They Get Inside Olives? |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54749/what-are-pimentos-and-how-do-they-get-inside-olives |website=Mental Floss}}[http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5100681.html Patent description] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327075745/http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5100681.html |date=2017-03-27 }} of stuffing manufacturing.
The fruits are typically used fresh as a salad ingredient, cooked, or pickled.
Pimientos are commonly used for making pimento cheese.{{cite web|url=http://www.yummy.ph/recipe/Homemade-Cheese-Pimiento|title=Homemade Cheese Pimiento|author=Pixie Sevilla-Santos|work=Yummy.PH|access-date=14 April 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://panlasangpinoy.com/2013/02/22/cheese-pimiento-sandwich-spread/|title=Cheese Pimiento Sandwich Spread|work=panlasangpinoy.com|date=22 February 2013 |access-date=14 April 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/filipino-cheese-pimiento.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329034445/http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/filipino-cheese-pimiento.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 29, 2013|title=Filipino Cheese Pimiento|work=filipino-food-recipes.com|access-date=14 April 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/2010/04/cheese-pimiento-filipino-style.html|title=Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More|author=TaGa_Luto|work=bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com|date=25 April 2010|access-date=14 April 2015}} It is also used for making pimento loaf, a type of processed sandwich meat.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
- Webster's Dictionary of the English Language – Unabridged Encyclopedic Edition, Publishers International Press, New York, 1977.
{{Capsicum Cultivars}}