The Talmud in a number of places states that the proof that the land of Israel does not lack anything is that even peppers grow there. (Brachos 36b, Sukka 35a). Apparently peppers are exotic types of growths which require special conditions but the land of Israel has many different types of climates.

In modern times most Israeli peppers are grown in the Arava region which has the hot arid climate ideally required for them. Peppers are grown in special hothouses and the local water, which has a high saline content in contrast with other regions, contributes to their special qualities.

The peppers which are grown in a number of villages and kibbutzim in the Arava, are taken to the Eureka sorting house in the village of Idan and are then marketed locally and abroad. 40 tons of peppers are sorted daily to evaluate whether they maintain export standards for Europe, Russia and the US.

During the sorting process Monday the computer warned of an unusually large pepper which did not succeed in going through the sorting procedure. After weighing it the farmers were amazed to discover that it weighed 0.555 grams, more than half a kilo, almost 20 ounces! Most peppers weigh in at 250 grams, less than half the size of this pepper.

Shoham Ben Azuz, the director of the sorting house, thinks the pepper is a candidate for a world record, since the largest pepper known previously weighed half a kilo.

(Vosizneias).