Red Pepper is the dried fruit pod of Capsicum Frutescens, one of the most pungent Capsicums. You may have heard it called Cayenne Red Pepper, having been named after the high heat chilies grown in the vicinity of the Cayenne River in French Guiana.

These are the variety you will see on the tables of Italian pizzerias (hence the nickname "pizza peppers").
Red Pepper adds heat and bite to seasoning blends, meats, pickles, seafood, Italian, Indian, Mexican and Caribbean cuisines. Red Pepper is used in seasoned salt, chili powder, jerk, mole negro and berbere seasoning blends. This is the pepper you want to use when a recipe calls for "red pepper flakes". Try them with pasta, spaghetti, Asian stir-fry, salads, sauces, casseroles, eggs and marinades.

Although there are numerous sources of Red Pepper, India, Pakistan, and China are the major producers. Varieties originating from these countries are among the hottest and most pungent types.

Early Spanish explorers found Red Pepper pods in the Caribbean while looking for true pepper berries. In innocent confusion or perhaps to save face, the Spaniards called this discovery "pepper." There is no relationship between the capsicum pods and the true pepper berries, but the misnomer "pepper" has stuck .