Banana pepper
A mild, elongated chili pepper, usually harvested yellow, belonging to Capsicum annuum. Its curved shape and color resemble a banana.
Capsicum annuum: A species of domesticated pepper that includes bell peppers, jalapeños, and many other chili varieties. Banana pepper is a cultivar group within this species.
Pickling: Food preservation by immersion in an acidic or salty brine, often with spices. Banana peppers are commonly preserved this way and sold in jars.
Bell pepper: A large, sweet Capsicum annuum fruit with negligible pungency, commonly green, red, yellow, or orange. It shares the species but is larger and lacks banana pepper’s usual mild heat.
Sweet Banana pepper: A mild banana pepper cultivar grown for yellow fruit and little or no pungency. It represents the sweet type most often associated with the banana pepper name.
Chili pepper: The fruit of pungent or mild cultivars of Capsicum plants, used as a vegetable, spice, and condiment. Banana peppers are mild members of the broader chili-pepper family.
Pepperoncini: A mild, tangy chili pepper commonly pickled and served with sandwiches, salads, and antipasto. It is often confused with banana pepper in pickled form, but is usually smaller and wrinklier.
Jalapeño: A medium-sized chili pepper with moderate heat, usually harvested green or allowed to ripen red. It is typically much hotter and shorter than a banana pepper.
Hungarian Hot Wax pepper: A yellow, tapered chili cultivar with variable, often substantial heat. It is a hotter cultivar sometimes marketed or mistaken as a banana pepper.
Scoville scale: A scale that expresses the pungency of chili peppers through capsaicinoid concentration. It places banana pepper’s mild heat in relation to hotter peppers.
Submarine sandwich: A long sandwich made in a split roll and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. Sliced banana peppers add acidity and mild heat to many versions.