National Pepper Month

Categories:: Food & Beverage
Tags:: Cooking Food
Where:: United States
Date change rule:: Every November
Holiday emoji:: 🌶️

National Pepper Month celebrates the vibrant, versatile world of peppers throughout November. From the sweet crunch of a bell pepper to the fiery kick of a habanero, this month encourages everyone to explore the incredible diversity of these culinary staples. Discover new recipes, experiment with different heat levels, and share your favorite pepper-infused dishes with friends and family.

Deals
Platforms
Social
Brands
Hero
Timeline
Businesses
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate

Expected National Pepper Month Deals

While we await official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows National Pepper Month inspires a range of delicious deals. Expect grocery chains like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s to feature discounts on fresh peppers, dried spices, and pepper-infused products. Specialty food stores might offer tasting events for hot sauces from brands like Tabasco and Huy Fong Foods. Restaurants, especially those specializing in Mexican or Asian cuisine, could roll out limited-time pepper-centric dishes. Look for recipe contests and online giveaways from spice companies such as McCormick, encouraging home cooks to experiment with new flavors. Even gardening suppliers like Burpee might offer sales on pepper seeds for next season’s planting. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November approaches.

Platform Guide for National Pepper Month

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #NationalPepperMonth. Film a ‘pepper heat challenge’ or showcase creative pepper-infused recipes.

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #NationalPepperMonth. Share vibrant photos of your favorite pepper dishes or garden-fresh harvests.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #NationalPepperMonth. Host a community recipe exchange for pepper-centric meals.

National Pepper Month Hero

Wilbur Scoville

Wilbur Scoville (1865–1942) was an American pharmacist best known for creating the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912. This test, which measures the pungency or 'heat' of chili peppers, led to the development of the Scoville scale, still widely used today to rank peppers from mild to fiery hot. His work provided a standardized method for comparing pepper heat, revolutionizing the culinary and scientific understanding of capsaicin.

National Pepper Month timeline

1912

Scoville scale developed

Wilbur Scoville invented a way to measure the intensity of peppers.

1896

Stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers made their first appearance in a printed cookbook.

1600s

Pirates and Peppers

Real-life pirate Lionel Wafer wrote about bell peppers in a book about the Americas and the Caribbean.

1493

Columbus discovered...peppers

After visiting the Americas, Columbus brought peppers back home to Europe.

5000 BC

Peppers domesticated in Mexico

In the Tehuacán valley of Mexico, peppers became domesticated as a crop.

How Businesses Can Celebrate National Pepper Month

Local businesses can honor National Pepper Month by featuring pepper-themed specials and promotions throughout November. Restaurants can introduce limited-time menu items showcasing diverse pepper varieties, from mild stuffed bell peppers to fiery chili dishes. Grocery stores could host tasting events for different pepper types or hot sauces, highlighting local producers. Specialty food shops might offer discounts on pepper-related ingredients or host workshops on pickling and preserving peppers, encouraging culinary exploration among their customers.

National Pepper Month FAQs

When is National Pepper Month?

National Pepper Month 2026 runs throughout November, offering a full 30 days to celebrate the diversity of peppers. It’s the perfect time to explore new flavors and culinary uses, from sweet to spicy.

How many types of peppers are there?

There are thousands of pepper varieties, ranging from sweet bell peppers to the intensely hot Carolina Reaper. Botanists estimate over 50,000 cultivars of the Capsicum genus exist, each with unique flavors and heat levels.

How popular are peppers in cooking?

Peppers are incredibly popular in cooking worldwide, serving as foundational ingredients in cuisines from Mexican and Indian to Thai and Italian. Their versatility allows them to be enjoyed raw, roasted, stuffed, or dried and ground into spices.

What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable when it comes to peppers?

Botanically, peppers are fruits because they develop from the flower’s ovary and contain seeds. This classification applies to all varieties, including bell peppers, jalapeños, and habaneros, placing them alongside tomatoes and cucumbers.

National Pepper Month Activities

Make your own hot sauce
You only need a few ingredients, and most recipes are fairly straightforward. Just stock up on some small glass bottles and start packaging your delicious concoction.
Take a pepper class
You're sure to learn about different methods of growing these tasty fruits as well as how to decode the notorious Scoville spice scale.
Make stuffed peppers
National Pepper Month is the perfect time to whip up a batch of tasty stuffed peppers. Want to spice things up a little? Get out of your comfort zone and try new variations.

4 Smokin' Hot Pepper Facts

Pricey summer peppers
Hot weather brings high prices. Peppers tend to be least expensive during the months of November-June.
Better when eaten raw
Cooking bell peppers destroys some of their key nutrients, so it's best to nibble away at them beforehand.
Hang those peppers!
Hanging peppers is a great way to get them to dry out, but in some cultures it's also believed they bring health and good luck.
Purple peppers?
We're familiar with red, yellow, orange, and green peppers, but bell peppers can also be black, brown, white, and purple.

Why We Love National Pepper Month

Peppers are easy to find
Most grocery stores carry at least a couple of different pepper varieties. Bell peppers and jalapeños are easy to find almost anywhere, but poblanos, habaneros, and serranos are also gaining a lot of popularity as well.
Bell peppers are healthy
They're packed full of vitamins A and C, and are widely known for boosting the immune system. They also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Peppers can be mild or spicy
Whether you love the burning sensation of biting into a habanero or prefer to simply garnish your salad with a green bell pepper, there are a ton of different varieties. Almost everybody can find some type of pepper that they enjoy. As for us, we'll take a jalapeño popper, please.