{{Short description|Cultivar of Capsicum annuum}} {{distinguish|Pimenta (disambiguation){{!}}Pimenta}} {{Redirect|Pimento|other uses|Pimento (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox cultivar | image = Cherry peppers.jpg | image_caption = Pimiento peppers | species = ''Capsicum annuum'' | cultivar = Pimiento | module = {{Infobox pepper | embed = yes | heat = Mild | scoville = 100–500 }} }}
thumb|Pickled cherry peppers
A '''pimiento''' or '''pimento''' or '''cherry pepper''' is a variety of red, heart-shaped chili pepper (''Capsicum annuum'') that measures {{citation needed span|text={{convert|7-10|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|2-3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=off}} wide.|reason=A reliable citation is needed for this dimension, which is visually at considerable odds with the peppers in the provided images|date=April 2026}}
== Description and habitat == Pimentos grow in hardiness zones 4 through 12.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pimiento Overview |url=https://www.smartgardener.com/plants/408-peppers-pimiento/overview |website=Smart Gardener}}</ref>
Like most peppers, immature pimento pods are green and develop other colors, including yellow, green, red, and maroon, as they reach maturity.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bosland|first1=Paul W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UIrC1Qx4QfEC&q=pimiento&pg=PA207|title=Peppers: Vegetable and Spice Capsicums|last2=Votava|first2=Eric J.|last3=Votava|first3=Eric M.|date=2012|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-1-84593-825-3|language=en}}</ref>
The flesh of the pimiento is {{citation needed span|text=sweet, succulent, and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper.|date=April 2026}} Some varieties of the pimiento type are hot, including the Floral Gem and Santa Fe Grande varieties.{{cn|date=April 2026}}
==Name<span class="anchor" id="Etymology"></span><span class="anchor" id="Names"></span>==<!--method per template documentation--> Spanish {{lang|es|{{linktext|pimiento}}}} and Portuguese {{lang|pt|{{linktext|pimento}}}} both come from Latin {{lang|la|{{linktext|pigmentum}}}} ("pigment; coloring") and came to be used for bell peppers. The English borrowed "pimiento" and "pimento" as loanwords for what is distinguished in Spanish as {{lang|es|{{linktext|pimentón}}}} and in Portuguese as {{lang|pt|pimentão}}.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
In Jamaican English ''pimento'' usually refers to allspice (''Pimenta dioica'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm/lectures/pimento.html|title=Jamaican Pimento|publisher=UWI Department of Chemistry}}</ref>
==Uses== thumb|upright|Green Spanish olives stuffed with red pimiento peppers Pimiento peppers are the familiar red stuffing found in prepared Spanish or Greek green olives. Originally, the pimiento was hand-cut into tiny pieces, then hand-stuffed into each olive to balance out the olive's otherwise strong, salty flavor. Despite the popularity of the combination, this production method was very costly and time-intensive.
Today, for ease of production, pimientos are often puréed, then formed into tiny strips with the help of a natural gum (such as sodium alginate or guar gum). This allows olive stuffing to be mechanized, speeding the process and lowering production costs.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2024-01-08 |first=Kara |last=Kovalchik |date=2023-08-01 |orig-date=A version of this story originally ran 2014-02-07; it has been updated. |title=What Are Pimentos, And How Do They Get Inside Olives? |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54749/what-are-pimentos-and-how-do-they-get-inside-olives |website=Mental Floss}}</ref><ref>[http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5100681.html Patent description] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327075745/http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5100681.html |date=2017-03-27 }} of stuffing manufacturing.</ref>
The fruits are typically used fresh as a salad ingredient, cooked, or pickled.
Pimientos are commonly used for making pimento cheese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yummy.ph/recipe/Homemade-Cheese-Pimiento|title=Homemade Cheese Pimiento|author=Pixie Sevilla-Santos|work=Yummy.PH|access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://panlasangpinoy.com/2013/02/22/cheese-pimiento-sandwich-spread/|title=Cheese Pimiento Sandwich Spread|work=panlasangpinoy.com|date=22 February 2013 |access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/filipino-cheese-pimiento.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329034445/http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/filipino-cheese-pimiento.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 29, 2013|title=Filipino Cheese Pimiento|work=filipino-food-recipes.com|access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/2010/04/cheese-pimiento-filipino-style.html|title=Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More|author=TaGa_Luto|work=bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com|date=25 April 2010|access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref> They are also used for making pimento loaf, a type of processed sandwich meat.
==See also== *List of Capsicum cultivars
==References== {{reflist}} *''Webster's Dictionary of the English Language – Unabridged Encyclopedic Edition'', Publishers International Press, New York, 1977.
{{Capsicum Cultivars}}
Category:Capsicum cultivars Category:Chili peppers Category:Spanish words and phrases