Florina peppers are a variety of red pepper cultivated in Macedonia. Its fruit are 15-20 cm long and 4-5 cm wide. They are plump and have a sweet taste, suitable for salad, freezing or even for canning.
After being brought from Brazil to Europe in the 16th century, Florina peppers made their way to the western Macedonia region of Greece a hundred years later. Florina, Prespes, Veria, Aridea, Kozani welcomed the new and exotic fruit. In Florina, thanks to its fertile soil, the cultivation of red peppers prospered and, since 1950, has developed into an important regional crop. They have since become an established local delicacy that is integral to the daily diet of the inhabitants of the region.
Authentic Florina peppers are green until they begin to ripen, turning red after the 15th of August. Their cultivation takes five times the number of hectares required to grow other types of pepper, which justifies their higher price.
