# What can liven up my food the way bell peppers do, without being bell peppers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396 "2018-01-24T19:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/41 "2018-01-30T03:50:15Z")
If you think bell peppers are flavourless, I’d hate to see what you consider flavourful. (Also, I do not understand people who consider ‘flavourless’ a selling point for a food.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/42 "2018-01-30T04:16:22Z")
Once again, I live green peppers, but I can’t see how they’re considered almost flavorless in any universe. They have a very distinct flavor. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/43 "2018-01-30T09:57:39Z")
> [@PaperBlob](#): > > Um, no. Hating the taste of bell peppers does not make one a picky eater! What in the OP leads you to say that? What leads me to say that is … capsicum are exceedingly common as a flavoring in savory foods in the West. Clearly most people tolerate them just fine. Anyway, if there are people out there who don’t like bell peppers but are otherwise not picky eaters, more power to them! I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but I also have foods (or combinations of foods) that I don’t like. Though I think my dislikes tend to align more closely with things commonly regarded with suspicion by many palates (beets and bleu cheese). ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/44 "2018-01-30T18:31:32Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > Green bell peppers are basically nutritious, fibrous, almost-flavorless vegetables, to which nobody is allergic, and which nobody objects to unless they’ve learned that behavior. This is so far from anything resembling a true statement. I am far from a supertaster, but can detect the foul flavor and smell of a bell pepper even when blended in or cut into near invisible pieces. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > What leads me to say that is … capsicum are exceedingly common as a flavoring in savory foods in the West. Clearly most people tolerate them just fine. I love hot peppers in all types. Can’t stand bells of any variety, big, little, red, green, or purple. > [@teela\_brown](#): > > Maybe switch to fresh poblanos. My husband _hates_ bell peppers, but he likes poblanos. They don’t taste so grassy. They’re kind of spicy and nutty and mellow all at once. I say this often to my cooking friends that are offended that I won’t eat their bell pepper including creations. Poblanos aren’t hot at all, but come with a host of wonderful flavors and aromas that simply aren’t in any way similar to a bell pepper. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/45 "2018-01-30T18:39:31Z")
Poblanos are a good one. They definitely have a flavor all their own, and don’t remind me of bells much at all (if at all.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396/46 "2018-01-31T05:36:47Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > Green bell peppers are basically nutritious, fibrous, almost-flavorless vegetables, to which nobody is allergic, and which nobody objects to unless they’ve learned that behavior. I don’t mind the taste or smell of green bell peppers, but they give me such terrible acid reflux that I avoid them entirely. Just because a food is inoffensive to you, or even to most people, doesn’t mean that everyone can tolerate it. I was going to recommend black pepper as an alternative to bell peppers for adding flavor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-liven-up-my-food-the-way-bell-peppers-do-without-being-bell-peppers/807396.md?page=2)