Gypsy pepper.

At the Market is a weekly look at produce available at local farmers markets.

There are at least 50,000 varieties of peppers in the world, according to “The Science of Good Food” by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss.

Fifty thousand.

That makes capsicums an incredibly large family of edible plants, a family that includes everything from sweet bell peppers to the very hot habanero.

Many people shy away from any pepper that’s not the familiar green or red bell for fear of the heat. But be open-minded. Not every pepper will sear your sinus membranes. The key is asking the grower at farmers markets about the pepper’s spiciness before you buy.

Take the gypsy pepper for example. This is a variety of sweet pepper that was recently available at local markets. It may resemble hot peppers you are familiar with — it’s color and shape are similar to those of a spicy Hungarian wax pepper — but like all sweet peppers, it contains a recessive gene that prevents the production of capsaicin, the compound that makes spice peppers spicy.

Many peppers, like the gypsy, are actually sweeter than bell peppers.

Roasting will concentrate the sweetness of peppers, and is always a good choice, especially if you have a large volume of peppers. Broil, grill or torch the peppers on a gas burner until the skin is blackened, then let them rest, covered, for a few minutes before slipping the skin off and removing the seeds from the inside. Add to sauces, salsas, pastas dishes, etc.

Gypsy peppers are also great raw.