The History of Cooking with Chilli
The Chilli Story
This story starts in the jungles of the Amazon, original home of a plant that produces naturally powerful alkaloid compound. The plant has been spread so diligently that it can now be found on every continent and, although it was virtually unknown outside South America before 1492, it is now common in many parts of the world. On the Indian subcontinent and in the Far East, its use is viewed as indispensable to daily life. In fact, so well has it been accepted here that many assume it is native to this region.
Initially spread by birds, it is humans who took over as the main carriers, developing and spreading the chillies as they moved around the planet. Those who come into contact with it report uncontrollable physical symptoms including sweating, runny noses and coughing – all of these surprisingly culminating in a general feeling of wellbeing. Its victims soon feel the need to partake of its delights again, but find they need ever- increasing quantities to regain that initial sensation and satisfy their craving.
A good all – rounder
Chilli farming and distribution has become big business, making some individuals both influential and rich. In most countries you will find devotees growing chillies for their own consumption. They are available in many forms, including fresh, dried, or powered, as an oleoresin, or in the form of a hot sauce. Some varieties are hot – or cold-smoked before use. Many fanatics carry them around with them so that they can enjoy their pleasures at any meal, wherever they may be. In their purified state chillies were used as an effective weapon in close combat, yet they can also provide relief from pain.
Chillies are simple to grow and available everywhere. And although the fruits are capable of causing the most severe discomfort, they have become one of the world’s most popular spices.
What is a chilli?
The genus Capsicum is said to have evolved in a corner of south America that is boarded by Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina. It is here that the greatest number of wild species grow. The chilli counts among its family members such species as the potato, tobacco and even the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). Along with over 3000 others it forms part of the Solanaceae family.
The word “chilli” is a legacy of south American civilizations who knew the planets and cultivated different varieties. ‘Pepper’, the confusing alternative, was introduced by Columbus whose voyage took him to South America. So steadfast was he in his belief that he had secured a Spanish trade route to the spice of India that he misnamed the pungent, red chilli pods.
Bell peppers and chillies are related, however, and very similar, except that only the chilli produces the chemical capsaicin which gives it ists pungent taste. So closely related are two that if you grow chilli and pepper varieties in close proximity that will cross-pollinate. Seeds harvested from peppers that have been crossed will taste hot – in other words the chilli gene will dominate. Plant breeders and seed companies go to great lengths to keep their seeds line pure. Any seeds you procure from a home garden should be viewed with suspicion. You won’t know what you get until the plants begin to produce fruit.
Today, chillies and pepper are grown commercially in over 80 countries. The largest harvests come from china, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey – a combined harvesting area not far short of 800 000ha (3000 square miles). Those mostly grown in warm climes, UK has over 100ha (247acres) of chillies; France over 1000ha (2471 acres). Production of chilies is booming to satisfy a growing demand.
The chilli often described as ‘addictive’, but not in a negative sense like tobacco, for instance, since no deep carving develops and there is no chemical dependency. It is true, however, that the warming, burning sensation we get from chillies stimulates the release of endorphins – natural painkillers that also create a feeling of wellbeing. It is therefore quite possible that the enjoyment of chillies is linked to a subconscious desire for this pleasant state of wellbeing. Sadly, over time, the tolerance to capsaicin increase and we need more or hotter chillies to produce same sensation.
Cooking Class: Colombo Tour Guide
Escape from the jungle
Little is known about chillies before 1492, when Columbus brought the first specimens back to Europe. In her book peppers, the Domesticated Capsicums, Jean Andrews speculates on, and maps out, the probable origin of the species to an area of central Bolivia. It is safe to surmise that the plants originated in the jungles of South America, and that the fruits with their fiery taste are an adaptation designed to ward off the attentions of hungry mammals. Birds cannot taste spicy flavours and would not have been affected. For them, the wild chillies were a good source of food and thus they spread the seeds far and wide.
Evidence for the human use of chillies leads us to first southern Mexico where archaeologists working in the Tehuacan Valley have found indications that chillies were harvested from wild plants(and may even have been cultivated) as early as 7000Bc. Archaeologist Richard Stockton MacNeish and his team worked from 1960 to 1970 on what became known as the Tehuacan project, during which time they discovered some of the first known evidence of domesticated chillies, maize, squash, tomatoes and avocados.
In an independent study, a complete pod of the habanero type was found in the Guitarrero cave in Peru. It dates back to 6500Bc and is the known example of this species.
It is believed that Native Americans began to cultivate chilli plants between 5200-3400Bc. IN Mexico, the Aztecs used chillies to prepare a drink called chicahuatl, a thick mixture made of cocoa beans, chillies, corn and water, that was the ancestor of what we know today as chocolate.
Cooking Class Colombo
This story starts in the jungles of the Amazon, original home of a plant that produces naturally powerful alkaloid compound. The plant has been spread so diligently that it can now be found on every continent and, although it was virtually unknown outside South America before 1492, it is now common in many parts of the world. On the Indian subcontinent and in the Far East, its use is viewed as indispensable to daily life. In fact, so well has it been accepted here that many assume it is native to this region.
Initially spread by birds, it is humans who took over as the main carriers, developing and spreading the chillies as they moved around the planet. Those who come into contact with it report uncontrollable physical symptoms including sweating, runny noses and coughing – all of these surprisingly culminating in a general feeling of wellbeing. Its victims soon feel the need to partake of its delights again, but find they need ever- increasing quantities to regain that initial sensation and satisfy their craving.
A good all – rounder
Chilli farming and distribution has become big business, making some individuals both influential and rich. In most countries you will find devotees growing chillies for their own consumption. They are available in many forms, including fresh, dried, or powered, as an oleoresin, or in the form of a hot sauce. Some varieties are hot – or cold-smoked before use. Many fanatics carry them around with them so that they can enjoy their pleasures at any meal, wherever they may be. In their purified state chillies were used as an effective weapon in close combat, yet they can also provide relief from pain.
Chillies are simple to grow and available everywhere. And although the fruits are capable of causing the most severe discomfort, they have become one of the world’s most popular spices.
What is a chilli?
The genus Capsicum is said to have evolved in a corner of south America that is boarded by Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina. It is here that the greatest number of wild species grow. The chilli counts among its family members such species as the potato, tobacco and even the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). Along with over 3000 others it forms part of the Solanaceae family.
The word “chilli” is a legacy of south American civilizations who knew the planets and cultivated different varieties. ‘Pepper’, the confusing alternative, was introduced by Columbus whose voyage took him to South America. So steadfast was he in his belief that he had secured a Spanish trade route to the spice of India that he misnamed the pungent, red chilli pods.
Bell peppers and chillies are related, however, and very similar, except that only the chilli produces the chemical capsaicin which gives it ists pungent taste. So closely related are two that if you grow chilli and pepper varieties in close proximity that will cross-pollinate. Seeds harvested from peppers that have been crossed will taste hot – in other words the chilli gene will dominate. Plant breeders and seed companies go to great lengths to keep their seeds line pure. Any seeds you procure from a home garden should be viewed with suspicion. You won’t know what you get until the plants begin to produce fruit.
Today, chillies and pepper are grown commercially in over 80 countries. The largest harvests come from china, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey – a combined harvesting area not far short of 800 000ha (3000 square miles). Those mostly grown in warm climes, UK has over 100ha (247acres) of chillies; France over 1000ha (2471 acres). Production of chilies is booming to satisfy a growing demand.
The chilli often described as ‘addictive’, but not in a negative sense like tobacco, for instance, since no deep carving develops and there is no chemical dependency. It is true, however, that the warming, burning sensation we get from chillies stimulates the release of endorphins – natural painkillers that also create a feeling of wellbeing. It is therefore quite possible that the enjoyment of chillies is linked to a subconscious desire for this pleasant state of wellbeing. Sadly, over time, the tolerance to capsaicin increase and we need more or hotter chillies to produce same sensation.
Cooking Class: Colombo Tour Guide
Escape from the jungle
Little is known about chillies before 1492, when Columbus brought the first specimens back to Europe. In her book peppers, the Domesticated Capsicums, Jean Andrews speculates on, and maps out, the probable origin of the species to an area of central Bolivia. It is safe to surmise that the plants originated in the jungles of South America, and that the fruits with their fiery taste are an adaptation designed to ward off the attentions of hungry mammals. Birds cannot taste spicy flavours and would not have been affected. For them, the wild chillies were a good source of food and thus they spread the seeds far and wide.
Evidence for the human use of chillies leads us to first southern Mexico where archaeologists working in the Tehuacan Valley have found indications that chillies were harvested from wild plants(and may even have been cultivated) as early as 7000Bc. Archaeologist Richard Stockton MacNeish and his team worked from 1960 to 1970 on what became known as the Tehuacan project, during which time they discovered some of the first known evidence of domesticated chillies, maize, squash, tomatoes and avocados.
In an independent study, a complete pod of the habanero type was found in the Guitarrero cave in Peru. It dates back to 6500Bc and is the known example of this species.
It is believed that Native Americans began to cultivate chilli plants between 5200-3400Bc. IN Mexico, the Aztecs used chillies to prepare a drink called chicahuatl, a thick mixture made of cocoa beans, chillies, corn and water, that was the ancestor of what we know today as chocolate.
Cooking Class Colombo
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