The History of the Chilli Pepper

June 24, 2022

It seems common sense that if you order an Indian takeaway in the UK then you are likely to receive some sort of spicy food. This is so obvious that it may surprise you to learn that chilli peppers are not native to India and that they are not mentioned in any of the country’s writing before the 16th century. Chilli peppers are, in fact, native to the Americas and were only brought to the country from Mexico and South America after Columbus’s first voyage.

Before the introduction of chillies, black pepper was used to give a limited amount of spice to dishes (this is likely why the name for chilli in many Hindu languages is derived from the word for pepper). Of course, this discovery proved to be incredibly popular and was an excellent way to improve dishes good and bad alike.

Of all the available chillies, Capsicum annuum is the most common variety with bell pepper, jalapeño, chile and cayenne pepper. Probably what you think of when you think of chilli. There are other classifications of peppers such as capsicum chinense (typically very spicy) and capsicum crutescens, the first includes habanero and the Carolina Reaper while the piri peri chilli comes under the second.