Have you ever seen or read somewhere that the number of lobes on a bell pepper indicates whether it is male or female?
Demystifying the number of lobes on a bell pepper
It was said that it was possible to determine if a bell pepper was male or female by looking at the number of lobes at the bottom of the pepper. If it has three bumps, it's a male, and if it has four bumps, it's a female. Male peppers were believed to be perfect for cooking, while female peppers are sweeter in taste and better to eat raw.
Well, we're here to set the record straight! Is it true or false?
FALSE!
Bell peppers are part of a variety of plants known as hermaphrodites. In fact, the plant's sexual organs are located in the flowers, so it is possible to distinguish male and female parts. Bell pepper flowers frequently self-pollinate, so bees and other pollinators are not absolutely necessary for fertilization and fruit production.
Therefore, the number of lobes has no impact on the taste of the bell pepper, let alone its gender!
What about color?
And while we're setting things straight, all bell peppers start off as green before changing color to yellow, red, or even orange. The green bell pepper simply hasn't reached its maturity yet but is still just as edible.
Pro tip for bell pepper storage: Unwashed, place them directly in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator, and if they were sold in a bag, leave them in their perforated bag.
