Short answers, pulled from the story.
Christopher Columbus returned to Europe in 1493 carrying seeds from the Americas that would eventually change the global culinary landscape. He mistakenly believed he had found the source of the highly prized black pepper from India. This botanical error birthed the name pepper for the fruit of the Capsicum annuum plant.
The name bell pepper originated from a botanical error where Christopher Columbus confused the fruit with black pepper from India. In the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, the fruit is known as the bell pepper, while Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka use the term capsicum. Japan utilizes two distinct terms, papurika and pīman, while Switzerland calls it peperone and France uses poivron.
The visual spectrum of the bell pepper transforms the fruit from unripe green to vibrant red, yellow, orange, or purple. Red bell peppers are simply ripened green peppers that have been left on the vine longer and contain twice the vitamin C and eight times the vitamin A content of a green bell pepper. The 'Permagreen' variety is an exception to this rule, maintaining its green color even when fully ripe.
The bell pepper is the only member of the genus Capsicum that does not produce capsaicin, a lipophilic chemical that can cause a strong burning sensation. This absence of capsaicin is due to a recessive form of a gene that eliminates the compound and, consequently, the hot taste usually associated with the rest of the genus Capsicum. Bell peppers are thus scored in the lowest level of the Scoville scale, meaning that they are not spicy.
A raw red bell pepper is 94% water, 5% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat, making it a hydrating and nutrient-dense food source. A reference amount supplies food energy and is a rich source of vitamin C containing 158% of the Daily Value, vitamin A at 20%, and vitamin B6 at 23% of the Daily Value. Pieces of bell pepper are commonly used in garden salads and as toppings on pizza, and bell peppers may be used in the production of the spice paprika.
In 2020, global production of bell peppers reached 36 million tonnes, led by China with 46% of the total, and secondary production by Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey. The preferred growing conditions for bell peppers include warm, moist soil in a temperature range that supports the plant's growth. The spread of pepper seeds through Europe and Asia following their import to Spain in 1493 laid the foundation for the modern agricultural industry that now supports millions of tons of production annually.