Hungarian Wax Peppers, Ripe, Unripe, and Intermediate

Three hungarian wax peppers on a colorful plate against a blue-and-white tablecloth, showing one bright red pepper, one bright orange, and one yellow-green

Jul 30th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows three Hungarian wax peppers at varying stages of ripeness. I bought these peppers from the basket of assorted hot peppers in an earlier photo.

The Hungarian wax pepper is one of my favorite hot peppers, as it is hot enough that it packs a considerable punch (a whole pepper is usually much too hot for me to eat in one sitting or include in one serving of food that I would eat), yet mild enough that I can include a substantial amount of it in my food so that it adds substantial flavor.

The flavor of this pepper changes greatly as the pepper ripens. I like the fully ripe pepper most of all. The ripe peppers have a rich, intense flavor, like paprika, and quite unlike other red sweet peppers or hot peppers. The yellow-green unripe form of this pepper has an aroma like sweet banana peppers, light and somewhat fresh, but with a kick.