Stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers is a dish which exists in different names and forms around the world.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

Spain

Stuffed peppers or pimientos rellenos are part of the traditional Spanish cuisine, especially that of the regions of the Basque Country and Catalonia. Usually piquillo peppers are used. The fillings vary from Manchego cheese, to beef or cod in a béchamel sauce, the latter likely being the most popular recipe.

India

Stuffed Peppers (Bharvan Mirch or Bharva Hari Mirch) is one of several stuffed vegetable (Bharvan subji) dishes. It consists of bell peppers stuffed with cooked mashed potatoes and onions, seasoned with chili, turmeric, coriander, cilantro, salt and lemon juice. The peppers are then either browned in a Tava (frying pan) or baked in an oven until the peppers are soft.

Mirchi bajji or pakora is a chaat (street food) item and is a hot favorite during the monsoon and cooler months. In Bombay and western areas, the big green chilli pepper is stuffed with a roasted, spiced flour mix and fried. In the South, the big green chillies, similar to hatch, is dipped in a flour batter and fried. It may be accompanied by chutneys and sauces. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, some of the smaller but more potent chillies are also stuffed and fried, especially as a side to rice.

Mediterranean

Yemista

Main articles: Dolma and Yemista

• Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes that consists of stuffed peppers or grape leaves. Dolma are part of the Balkan cuisines and surrounding regions, such as Middle Eastern countries like Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and also Central Asia.
• Yemista is part of the Greek cuisine and consists of baked stuffed vegetables. Usually tomatoes, peppers, or other vegetables hollowed out and baked with a rice and herb filling.

Mexico

Main articles: Chile relleno and Jalapeno popper

Mexican cuisine has more than one stuffed pepper dish:

• The Chile relleno, literally "stuffed pepper", consists of a roasted green Pasilla or poblano chile pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco), and/or (occasionally) minced meat, covered in an egg batter, and fried. It is often served covered with a sauce, although the type of sauce varies widely. It is sometimes also served in a taco with rice, salsa and other toppings.
• Jalapeño poppers are jalapeño peppers that have been hollowed out, stuffed with a mixture of cheese, spices, and sometimes ground meat, and then deep fried.

Middle East

• Dolmeh Felfel a variant of Dolmeh. Dolmeh is stuffed vegetables such as grape leaves, cabbages, eggplants, tomato, etc. served in middle east and central Asian countries.
• Filfil Mahshi an Arab cuisine dish that consists of stuffed green peppers. Filfil Mahshi belongs to a family of stuffed vegetable dishes that consists of stuffed peppers or stuffed zucchini or stuffed eggplant. The stuffing is typically composed of spiced rice and ground beef or lamb.
• Mahshi is an Egyptian and Sudanese dish that is spiced meat stuffed in green, yellow, or red peppers, or in tomatoes.

Scandinavian and Baltic Countries

• Scandinavian Countries: Fyldte peberfrugter (Danish), Täytetyt paprikat (Finnish), Fylltar paprikur (Icelandic), Fylt paprika (Norwegian), Fyllda paprikor (Swedish).
• Baltic Countries (Baltic States): Kimšti pipirai (Lithuanian) usually made with ground beef (or pork), rice, various vegetables and spices; Pildīti pipari (Latvian) and Täidisega paprika (Estonian) is word phrase for "stuffed peppers".

Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia

Main article: Punjena paprika

Croatian Punjena paprika and potatoes

Punjena paprika (Croatian and Serbian for "stuffed peppers"), Filovana paprika (Bosnian), Polnjena paprika (Slovenian), Polneti Piperki (Macedonian), Töltött paprika (Hungarian), or Pulnena piperka/Pulnena chuska (Bulgarian) is an Eastern European dish consisting of peppers filled with minced meat and rice. Most popular in the Zagorje and Vojvodina regions, it is influenced by Hungarian cuisine. The meat, usually ground beef, is mixed with herbs, spices and rice. In Bulgaria, stuffed peppers are usually eaten with yogurt.

There are many variations of the dish across the Balkans.

Romania

Ardei umpluţi

Main article: Ardei umpluţi

Ardei umpluţi (Romanian pronunciation: [arˈdej umˈplut͡sʲ]) is Romanian for "stuffed peppers". This dish is usually prepared with bell peppers, stuffed with ground meat (usually pork), rice, onion and other vegetables and spices, and then boiled in a sauce made from cream, tomatoes and spices.

United States

American stuffed pepper

Stuffed peppers in American cuisine is a dish where bell peppers (often the green variety) are typically filled with a stuffing such as ground beef mixed with breadcrumbs or cooked rice, egg, herbs and spices (especially paprika and parsley) and cheese. Recipes vary, but often include the following steps: removal of the seeds of the pepper, boiling them, stuffing them, covering with cheese, and baking the combined foodstuff until the peppers are soft. A sauce may be served with them, often a tomato sauce, but this, too, varies greatly. In some parts of the United States, this dish is sometimes referred to as "stuffed mangoes" despite having no actual mangoes as an ingredient.

External links

• Balkan recipe for Stuffed peppers at balkan-cuisine.com
• Stuffed Bell Peppers American Style at Cooks.com
• StuffedBellPeppers.net Stuffed Peppers Recipe Collection from Around the World by Sharon Hunter
• A Wide Variety of Stuffed Pepper Recipes at stuffedpepper.net