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Where Chilli come from

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Archaeological diggings in the Western Hemisphere suggest that as far back as seven thousand years before the birth of Christ, chiles—along with squash, beans, and maize—were part of the diet of the pre-Columbian Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. They were the base, as they are now, of South American and Mexican cuisines. When Columbus and other explorers from Spain and Portugal made their famous navigational errors while seeking a sea route to find the peppercorns of the Far East, they called the newfound plant peppers anyhow, bringing chile seeds back to their mother countries. From there they found their way into the world’s trade routes, influencing the flavors and cuisines of Africa, India, and the Orient. Today, three-quarters of the peoples around the world grow and eat chiles.
Here in the United States, the ever-growing constituency of chile lovers has contributed to our melting pot cuisines. Immigration patterns have changed, and the dominant groups entering the country today are Asian, Caribbean, African, Indian, Pakistani, Mexican, and South American—all requesting the “real thing” when it comes to food, and, for the most part, that means hot! The folks in the South and Southwest have been aficionados for centuries.
All peppers begin as green and then turn color—bright red or yellow—as they ripen. They grow easily, and they are cross-pollinated just as easily by the winds and birds. So, while some experts claim that there are two hundred varieties, others contend that there may be as many as one thousand, with almost seventy varieties grown in Mexico alone and new ones being deliberately crossbred every day.
They can be smooth, rough-skinned, or wrinkled, and are sold fresh, dried, frozen, canned, and powdered. They vary in color and texture, but most of all they range across the scale in terms of heat. A pharmacist by the name of Wilbur Scoville devised a scientific method of measuring the heat in what is now known as the Scoville Unit Rating. Ratings range from as low as fifty to the stratosphere, with anything over five thou sand being considered super hot.
There is some disagreement, however, about the spelling—chili, chilli, chile—but the ultimate area of confusion for those who really love hot chiles is that the names may change depending on where they’re grown: the pasila of California is actually the poblano, but others know the pasilla as the dried form of the chilaca. The Colorado (which is really the Anaheim) can either be mild or hot. And the Roumanian can either be sweet or hot.

Archaeological diggings in the Western Hemisphere suggest that as far back as seven thousand years before the birth of Christ, chiles—along with squash, beans, and maize—were part of the diet of the pre-Columbian Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. They were the base, as they are now, of South American and Mexican cuisines. When Columbus and other explorers from Spain and Portugal made their famous navigational errors while seeking a sea route to find the peppercorns of the Far East, they called the newfound plant peppers anyhow, bringing chile seeds back to their mother countries. From there they found their way into the world’s trade routes, influencing the flavors and cuisines of Africa, India, and the Orient. Today, three-quarters of the peoples around the world grow and eat chiles.

Here in the United States, the ever-growing constituency of chile lovers has contributed to our melting pot cuisines. Immigration patterns have changed, and the dominant groups entering the country today are Asian, Caribbean, African, Indian, Pakistani, Mexican, and South American—all requesting the “real thing” when it comes to food, and, for the most part, that means hot! The folks in the South and Southwest have been aficionados for centuries.

All peppers begin as green and then turn color—bright red or yellow—as they ripen. They grow easily, and they are cross-pollinated just as easily by the winds and birds. So, while some experts claim that there are two hundred varieties, others contend that there may be as many as one thousand, with almost seventy varieties grown in Mexico alone and new ones being deliberately crossbred every day.

They can be smooth, rough-skinned, or wrinkled, and are sold fresh, dried, frozen, canned, and powdered. They vary in color and texture, but most of all they range across the scale in terms of heat. A pharmacist by the name of Wilbur Scoville devised a scientific method of measuring the heat in what is now known as the Scoville Unit Rating. Ratings range from as low as fifty to the stratosphere, with anything over five thou sand being considered super hot.

There is some disagreement, however, about the spelling—chili, chilli, chile—but the ultimate area of confusion for those who really love hot chiles is that the names may change depending on where they’re grown: the pasila of California is actually the poblano, but others know the pasilla as the dried form of the chilaca. The Colorado (which is really the Anaheim) can either be mild or hot. And the Roumanian can either be sweet or hot.

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