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Although it’s now quite common in the cuisine, did you know that chili peppers are not native to India and were brought into the country by Portuguese traders j

by wtmt 6y ago

Although it’s now quite common in the cuisine, did you know that chili peppers are not native to India and were brought into the country by Portuguese traders just over 500 years ago? [1] Black pepper, on the other hand, is native to the country and has been used in cooking for at least 4000 years now. [2] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper

seanmcdirmid 6y ago
Chili peppers originate from South America of course, and only made their way to the rest of the world via the Colombian Exchange. Food in the old world changed drastically and would be unrecognizable to us today (eg Hunan food without chili peppers).
- JauntTrooper 6y ago
  Or Italian food without tomato sauce, Ireland and Poland without potatoes, or Switzerland without chocolate. It really was one of the most consequential moments in human history.
  - andrepd 6y ago
    Yep. It was bonkers when I learned that potatoes, a staple food in Europe and across the entire world, basically didn't exist outside Peru until the mid 1500s.
  - cascom 6y ago
    Don’t forget corn, vanilla, squash, green beans, avocados, blue berries, strawberries and many more.... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_crops https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_crops
- umanwizard 6y ago
  They originate from Mexico, not South America.
  - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
    Oops, thanks for the correction.
  - bigbubba 6y ago
    As far as I'm aware, the cultivation of capsicum peppers is generally believed to have began in Mexico, however these peppers grew in the wild in Central and South America as well, and were cultivated there as well. There are five domesticated species of capsicum pepper. Of those, C. baccatum is from the South American Andes, as is C. pubescens. The origins of C. chinese are a bit unclear, but this species is known to be very diverse in the Amazon. C. frutescens I'm not sure about, but C. Annuums came from southern North America or northern South America. There are also another 20 or so wild species, which are found throughout this region. Basically, these sort of peppers were native throughout southern North America, Central America, and much of South America. Furthermore consumption of these peppers likely predated their cultivation by thousands of years.
- duskwuff 6y ago
  Nitpick: Hunan cuisine makes significant use of Sichuan peppers for some flavors, not just chili peppers. Sichuan peppers are unrelated to chili peppers, and are harvested from plants which are native to eastern Asia -- it was probably used in Chinese cuisine long before chili peppers were first imported.
  - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
    There are some ma-style dishes, but not many. In Changsha at least the chili pepper rules. Neat fact: Sichuan peppercorns were banned from being imported to the USA until 2005 because they could carry some disease that hurt orange trees.
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  > Chili peppers originate from South America No, they don't. They originate in North America, specifically, northeastern Mexico.
jelliclesfarm 6y ago
It was bought by Portuguese traders..likely vasco da gama. Indian cuisine had other ‘spices for heat like mustard seeds, long pepper, ginger etc. it’s a more complex multi layered heat than chili peppers. Also Szchewan* peppers are actually from the citrus family and not true peppers. Their numbing feeling enhances the ‘spice factor’. It’s a neurological hack. This can be used to make dishes seem spicier than they really are.. and this is native to China. * http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Zant_pip.html http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Zant_pip.html It is also possible that chili peppers existed in the indo-Malay region and Korea before Europeans bought chili peppers from South America. Korean peppers ..for example..are genetically distinct from South American chili peppers https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319445357_DNA_Sequence_Analysis_Tells_the_Truth_of_The_Origin_Propagation_and_Evolution_of_Chili_Red_Pepper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319445357_DNA_Seque...

by wtmt 6y ago

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

Chili peppers originate from South America of course, and only made their way to the rest of the world via the Colombian Exchange. Food in the old world changed drastically and would be unrecognizable to us today (eg Hunan food without chili peppers).

JauntTrooper 6y ago
Or Italian food without tomato sauce, Ireland and Poland without potatoes, or Switzerland without chocolate. It really was one of the most consequential moments in human history.
- andrepd 6y ago
  Yep. It was bonkers when I learned that potatoes, a staple food in Europe and across the entire world, basically didn't exist outside Peru until the mid 1500s.
- cascom 6y ago
  Don’t forget corn, vanilla, squash, green beans, avocados, blue berries, strawberries and many more.... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_crops https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_crops
umanwizard 6y ago
They originate from Mexico, not South America.
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  Oops, thanks for the correction.
- bigbubba 6y ago
  As far as I'm aware, the cultivation of capsicum peppers is generally believed to have began in Mexico, however these peppers grew in the wild in Central and South America as well, and were cultivated there as well. There are five domesticated species of capsicum pepper. Of those, C. baccatum is from the South American Andes, as is C. pubescens. The origins of C. chinese are a bit unclear, but this species is known to be very diverse in the Amazon. C. frutescens I'm not sure about, but C. Annuums came from southern North America or northern South America. There are also another 20 or so wild species, which are found throughout this region. Basically, these sort of peppers were native throughout southern North America, Central America, and much of South America. Furthermore consumption of these peppers likely predated their cultivation by thousands of years.
duskwuff 6y ago
Nitpick: Hunan cuisine makes significant use of Sichuan peppers for some flavors, not just chili peppers. Sichuan peppers are unrelated to chili peppers, and are harvested from plants which are native to eastern Asia -- it was probably used in Chinese cuisine long before chili peppers were first imported.
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  There are some ma-style dishes, but not many. In Changsha at least the chili pepper rules. Neat fact: Sichuan peppercorns were banned from being imported to the USA until 2005 because they could carry some disease that hurt orange trees.
dragonwriter 6y ago
> Chili peppers originate from South America No, they don't. They originate in North America, specifically, northeastern Mexico.

jelliclesfarm 6y ago

It was bought by Portuguese traders..likely vasco da gama. Indian cuisine had other ‘spices for heat like mustard seeds, long pepper, ginger etc. it’s a more complex multi layered heat than chili peppers. Also Szchewan* peppers are actually from the citrus family and not true peppers. Their numbing feeling enhances the ‘spice factor’. It’s a neurological hack. This can be used to make dishes seem spicier than they really are.. and this is native to China. * http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Zant_pip.html http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Zant_pip.html It is also possible that chili peppers existed in the indo-Malay region and Korea before Europeans bought chili peppers from South America. Korean peppers ..for example..are genetically distinct from South American chili peppers https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319445357_DNA_Sequence_Analysis_Tells_the_Truth_of_The_Origin_Propagation_and_Evolution_of_Chili_Red_Pepper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319445357_DNA_Seque...