Can You Eat Ornamental Peppers?

Ornamental peppers. Those small peppers are grown on the smaller indoor plants. They look beautiful and those that love eating peppers are tempted to try eating them.

However, can you actually eat ornamental peppers? Are the ornamental peppers the same as normal peppers but just in a much smaller size?

Before you feel tempted to eat one of your ornamental peppers, you might want to make sure that you are reading these first. Or, you might regret your decision later.

Knowing More About Ornamental Peppers

Ornamental peppers are grown differently than normal peppers. These peppers aren’t grown for taste and to be used in food or to enjoy raw. The peppers are grown for their color. To make a small pepper plant look colorful and beautiful.

This is the main reason why people are buying ornamental peppers. But, what do you do with the peppers when the plant is getting full of peppers? Throwing it away, or can you enjoy it? There are a couple of things that you should consider before you can decide if this is something to eat or not.

Can You Eat Ornamental Peppers?

Yes, you can eat ornamental peppers. But, you should not expect the same taste as larger peppers that are grown in the garden to be used in food.  There is a huge difference in the size and taste of these peppers.

Many people think that these peppers aren’t editable. This isn’t the truth. It’s the same plant, the same peppers, just modified in a way that it can grow indoors and that the peppers are making the plant beautiful and colorful.

If you like hot and spicy, and you have the guts, you can eat the ornamental peppers. But, you should not expect the same taste.

It Doesn’t Taste the Same

This is essential to know. The ornamental peppers don’t taste the same as normally grown peppers. It doesn’t matter if this is yellow, green, or red peppers. The taste might come as a huge shock to you.

Some people are saying that they will not ever eat another ornamental pepper again because they expected the pepper to taste the same as the other peppers.

While, there are people that are claiming that they are only eating their ornamental peppers, because of the different taste. This is a personal decision, but you need to know that if you think that the taste is the same, then you are in for a huge shock.

It Will Have More Heat, Even if It is So Small

The ornamental peppers are a lot smaller than the normal peppers. It doesn’t really matter what type of ornamental pepper plant you have. And, you might think that these peppers aren’t as hot as the normal peppers that are grown in the garden, and that is the normal size.

Because it is smaller, it will not be as hot, right? Wrong. The ornamental peppers are even hotter than the larger peppers. They aren’t grown for the taste, but their color. And, if you are eating one, you will realize that the peppers are a lot hotter than the other peppers you have eaten before.

Ornamental Peppers Can Make Any Plate Beautiful

Just like the fact that ornamental peppers are making the plant beautiful and interesting, it can do the same on a plate. You can make any boring, normal dinner plate interesting and beautiful by just adding one or two colorful ornamental peppers on the plate.

But, it might be a good idea to warn your guests that the peppers are for decoration only. And, that if they are going to eat it, their mouths might be burning a lot. Those that are daring might enjoy the peppers, but those that don’t like burning food might be thankful that you warn them against the peppers.

Things to Consider When You Want to Eat Ornamental Peppers

Even if you can eat ornamental peppers, there are still a couple of things that you need to consider. Like we said before, the heat of the ornamental peppers is a lot more than normal peppers. So, when you are considering eating ornamental peppers, you need to be careful of the pits. Just like any other peppers, the red is a lot hotter than the yellow and green peppers.

You also should make sure that you are washing your peppers before you eat them. Some of these plants might be treated against bugs and insects and can be harmful to humans.

Conclusion

Ornamental peppers can be enjoyed. However, you need to realize that these peppers taste a lot different than the other peppers. They are a lot hotter and have a completely different taste. If you like eating hot stuff, then this is something you can consider.

But, if you want to add just a bit of heat into your dishes, you need to be careful of ornamental peppers.