If you’ve ever scrolled through cooking tips or heard kitchen lore, you’ve probably come across this popular claim:
“Bell peppers with three bumps are male, and those with four are female.”
But here’s the truth: this is a myth.
Debunking the “Gender” Myth
Bell peppers do not have sexes like animals or even some flowering plants. Each pepper fruit is the result of pollination, but the fruit itself doesn’t have a gender. The idea of “male” or “female” peppers is simply not botanically accurate.
So Where Did This Idea Come From?
Most likely from the visible bumps or lobes on the bottom of the pepper. Some peppers have three lobes, others four, and this led to the belief that:
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Three bumps = “male” → firmer, better for cooking
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Four bumps = “female” → sweeter, better raw
But none of that holds up under scientific scrutiny.
What Does the Number of Bumps Mean?
The number of lobes at the base of a bell pepper is simply a natural variation that depends on:
