What are Peppadews?

To taste a fresh piquanté pepper, you’d have to fly to South Africa, where Peppadew International grows and markets them. Other than the designated farmers who produce them in South Africa, their sought-after seeds are unavailable to cultivators. In the northern province of Limpopo, a small Capsicum cultivar was developed due to the fortuitous discovery of pepper with exceptional qualities, probably a chance hybrid. Name, trademark, and patent were all granted for the seed.

What Are Peppadews

Peppadew is the brand name for sweet piquanté peppers pickled and bottled by Peppadew International Ltd. in South Africa. These peppers are available in jars and have a sweet flavor with moderate heat. In foods like pizza and sandwiches, they’re frequently utilized as a topping, condiment, or ingredient. Peppadew peppers (also known as piquanté peppers) are South African pepper similar to but not identical to African Cherry Peppers. Peppadews (piquant peppers) are unusual in that they are rarely eaten raw because they have little flavor.

What are Peppadews?

Capsicum baccatum is the botanical name for sweet piquanté peppers. They are among five domesticated chili pepper species (the other four are annuum, Chinese, frutescens, and pubescent). While piquant peppers originated in South America, they made their way to South Africa in the 1990s when a grower began pickling and selling them under the brand name Peppadew. Piquante peppers are recognized for their sweet flavor rather than their inherent spiciness. On the Scoville scale2, which measures pepper heat, the peppers range between 1000 and 1200 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).

Peppadew is not a pepper kind but a brand owned by Peppadew International, a South African firm. Capsicum baccatum, or piquanté peppers, is the scientific name for these peppers. Peppadew cultivates and pickles sweet piquanté peppers in brine to create a sweet and spicy pepper ideal for salads, antipasto, pizza toppings, and more.

Peppadews vs. Cherry Peppers

Although piquant and cherry peppers are both tiny and have a tomato-like form, they are different types. On the other hand, both are commonly pickled or marinated and eaten as sauces, nibbles, or appetizers. Instead of spicy ingredients, cherry peppers are commonly stuffed with cured meats and aged Italian cheeses like provolone. Cherry peppers are milder and sweeter than hot peppers. The Scoville heat unit (SHU) scale for the hot cherry pepper (also called the Hungarian cherry pepper) is between 2500 and 5000. Another similar kind, cherry bomb peppers, are milder, ranging from 1000 to 3000 SHU.

How to Cook with Peppadews?

Peppadews, or piquant pickled peppers, are typically used as a condiment, on the whole, as sliced or chopped foods. Drain peppers and add them to pizza, sandwiches, wraps, salads, snack plates, party trays, antipasti platters, and cheese and charcuterie boards. Soft, fresh cheeses like goat cheese or cream cheese are frequently used. Dips, spreads, salsas, salads, soups, and sauces can all benefit from peppadews. The remaining pickling brine can also flavor brines, marinades, and salad dressings with sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors.

Pickled peppadews, also known as piquant pickled peppers, are commonly used as a condiment on pizza, sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Drain the peppers and top pizzas, sandwiches, wraps, and salads, or add them to snack platters, antipasti platters, and cheese trays. Peppadews are also delicious as an appetizer or as part of dinner, and they go well with mozzarella, brie, Swiss, Gouda, and provolone cheeses. Peppadews are perfect for kids, persons with dietary requirements, and those who don’t like the red dye found in most other pickled pepper products because no red dye is used in the pickling process (contrary to popular assumption).

Where to Buy Peppadews?

You may get jarred peppadews with olives and artichoke hearts at any supermarket, gourmet market, or cheese shop. They are sold in large quantities at the olive bar of most supermarkets that feature a prepared foods area and may also be ordered from a number of internet stores. If you’re looking for fresh spicy peppers, try looking for them in late summer/early fall at farmers’ markets, food co-ops, and natural food stores. (Fresh cherry peppers, which are a good but somewhat spicier replacement, are much more common.) If you want to try growing some in your garden, though, piquant pepper seeds are rather easy to come by.

They are also available from a variety of internet stores. Fresh piquant peppers can be difficult but check natural food stores, food co-ops, and farmers’ markets when they’re in season in late summer and early fall. Peppadew Peppers:  These peppers are sometimes available at your local supermarket near the pickles and pickled pepper goods, although they can be difficult. I occasionally come across them in grocery store lunch buffets, which are intended for immediate consumption.

How to Use them?

Piquanté peppers are a fantastic partner for sweet ingredients because of their moderate heat, and we enjoy them in fragrant cornbread. Try our Peppadew Pepper Margarita, which calls for a spoonful of Peppadew Pepper brine to balance off the Cointreau in the classic cocktail.

Fill the spicy openings with mild and fresh farmer’s cheese. With a flurry of fresh oregano, sprinkle them throughout your mozzarella base. To give a batch of blender-gazpacho depth and backbone, toss in piquanté peppers. To make Peppadew Pepper pesto, combine toasted almonds, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. It’s a quick and creamy spread for crackers or crusty toast and a deliciously quick pasta sauce.

How to Store Peppadew?

Fresh peppadews should be stored in a plastic bag in your refrigerator’s crisper or vegetable drawer. Avoid getting them wet, as this can quickly ruin them. Within seven days of purchase, fresh peppadews should be consumed. For up to a year, keep sealed, shelf-stable jars of preserved peppadews in a cool, dry place like your pantry or a kitchen cabinet. After opening, keep leftover peppers submerged in their brine and refrigerate them within two weeks.

What Are Peppadews

Your peppadews can be kept in the pantry until you’re ready to use them. Pickled Peppadews have a SHU of 300-1600, and the jar does not need to be refrigerated before opening. Once opened, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 14 days. You may also freeze the peppadews if you have any leftovers. Place any residual ingredients in an airtight container or freezer bag before freezing for 12 months.

What does a Peppadew Pepper Taste Like?

Stuffed Peppadew Peppers have a distinct, delectable flavor that combines spicy and sweet. On the Scoville scale, they have a mild heat of roughly 1200. Although the peppers resemble cherry tomatoes, they are unrelated to tomatoes. It is classified as a sweet pepper with mild heat. It’s commercially available in both hot and mild varieties, and it can be stuffed with soft cheeses like cream cheese or goat cheese. Salads, omelets, and sandwiches all benefit from it.

History of the Peppadew Brand

The piquanté pepper, from which the PEPPADEW® brand takes its name, has a flavour that is “spicy like a pepper (Peppa), but sweet and enticing (like the morning dew).” While piquanté peppers originated in Central America, they were originally found and cultivated in South Africa. Originally branded as PEPPADEW®, the peppers were first uncovered in South Africa in 1993. Since Piquanté peppers were originally commercially distributed by Peppadew International, the brand is often confused with its namesake. It’s also widely believed, incorrectly, that piquanté peppers are a hybrid of peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Conclusion

According to the firm, peppadews are high in Vitamin C and low in calories, with the majority of the calories coming from the sugar added to the pickling brine. Sugar (18.9 grams) and salt are moderately present in a 3.5-ounce portion of drained peppadews (.6 grams). With significant quantities of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and dietary fiber, pepper is considered a nutritious food, and it is considered a low-calorie, cholesterol-free fruit. Sweet cherry peppers and peppadew peppers are related but not identical.

These are good options for peppadew peppers because they have a similar flavor. They can be stuffed with cheese or pork and added to spaghetti and cheesesteaks. “Peppadew” is the brand name for pickled and sweetened piquanté peppers cultivated in South Africa’s Limpopo area. According to legend, a farmer discovered and marketed the small pepper in South Africa in the 1990s.