thumb|Pickled cherry peppers
A pimiento or pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of red, heart-shaped chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) that measures
Description and habitat
Pimentos grow in hardiness zones 4 through 12.
Like most peppers, immature pimento pods are green and develop other colors, including yellow, green, red, and maroon, as they reach maturity.
The flesh of the pimiento is Some varieties of the pimiento type are hot, including the Floral Gem and Santa Fe Grande varieties.
==Name<span class="anchor" id="Etymology"></span><span class="anchor" id="Names"></span>==<!--method per template documentation-->
Spanish and Portuguese both come from Latin ("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 and in Portuguese as .
In Jamaican English pimento usually refers to allspice (Pimenta dioica).
Uses
thumb|upright|Green Spanish olives stuffed with red pimiento peppers
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.
Today, 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.
The fruits are typically used fresh as a salad ingredient, cooked, or pickled.
Pimientos are commonly used for making pimento cheese. They are also used for making pimento loaf, a type of processed sandwich meat.
See also
- List of Capsicum cultivars
References
- Webster's Dictionary of the English Language – Unabridged Encyclopedic Edition, Publishers International Press, New York, 1977.