Golden Treasure Chile Peppers
Estimated Inventory, 25 lbs : 0
Description/Taste
Golden Treasure peppers are elongated and two-lobed peppers, averaging 15 to 22 centimeters in length, and have a conical shape that tapers to a point on the non-stem end. The pods can be slightly curved or straight, and the skin is smooth, glossy, and taut, ripening from green to golden yellow when mature. Underneath the thin skin, the flesh is medium-thick, crisp, pale yellow, and aqueous, encasing a central cavity filled with flat and round, cream-colored seeds. Golden Treasure peppers are sweet with little to no heat.
Seasons/Availability
Golden Treasure peppers are available in the summer through fall.
Current Facts
Golden Treasure peppers, botanically classified as Capsicum annuum, are a sweet Italian heirloom variety that belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Native to Italy, Golden Treasure peppers are also considered a variety of cubanelle pepper that is a rare, specialty variety grown in home gardens for everyday cooking. The sweet peppers are famously used in both fresh and cooked Italian preparations, favored for their sweet taste and thick flesh, and are primarily known as a frying pepper.
Nutritional Value
Golden Treasure peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help build collagen in the body and boost the immune system. The peppers also contain some potassium, vitamin A, folate, manganese, and vitamin K.
Applications
Golden Treasure peppers are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as roasting, frying, grilling, baking, and sautéing. When fresh, the peppers can be sliced and layered into sandwiches, chopped and tossed into salads, or sliced into strips and consumed on appetizer plates. Golden Treasure peppers can also be diced and stirred into soups, topped over pizza or pasta, stuffed with meat or cheese, baked into casseroles, sliced and fried into chips, or sautéed with eggs. In Italy, the peppers are popularly charred in olive oil, salt, and pepper until they develop a slightly blistered appearance. The cooked sweet peppers are then consumed as an appetizer or as a side dish to grilled meats. Golden Treasure peppers pair well with meats such as poultry, turkey, beef, and fish, onions, garlic, herbs such as basil, cilantro, and thyme, and cheeses such as ricotta, manchego, provolone, and mozzarella. The peppers will keep up to one week when loosely stored whole and unwashed in a plastic or paper bag in the refrigerator.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
In the northeastern United States, Italian frying peppers such as the Golden Treasure have remained synonymous with Italian cooking and are commonly grown in home gardens of Italian Americans. In Italian families, pepper seeds were traditionally passed down between generations and were brought to the United States through immigrating families to continue the tradition and create flavors reminiscent of Italy. In the modern-day United States, Italian frying peppers are still being used in traditional dishes such as salsiccia, which is a sauté of onions and peppers in a tomato-based sauce, or they are stuffed with fillings such as tuna, tomatoes, breadcrumbs, cheeses, rice, or olives and baked. In addition to traditional recipes, Italian frying peppers are also being used in new Italian American recipes, especially in pepper and eggs, which is a sandwich stuffed with sautéed with onions and peppers and topped with mozzarella, provolone, or ricotta cheese. Italian frying peppers are so beloved among Italian Americans that they are also tied into floral arrangements to add bright colors and unusual shapes to ornamental decorations.
Geography/History
Golden Treasure peppers are descendants of peppers from South and Central America and were introduced to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries. The sweet peppers are believed to have been first cultivated in Italy, and since their creation, the seeds have been widely spread across the world through immigrating Italian families in the 19th and 20th centuries. Golden Treasure peppers are not commercially cultivated and can be found through specialty grocers, farmers markets, and online seed catalogs for home garden use.
