Peppers



Peppers, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, sweet potatoes, beans, squash, avocados, chocolate and vanilla.  So, what do all these plants have in common?  They were domesticated and given to the world from the people of Central and South America.  Quite a contribution, huh?  

As I stood watering what has now become an everyday plant, I realized that this pepper plant on my back deck has a history richer than any emperor, nobleman, general or explorer.  It simply started out as a staple for the native people and after a whirlwind trip across the oceans, it has become known and loved to people everywhere.

Chili, from the Nahuatl language, is what they are called.  Chilli's have been grown since 7500 bc from the Amazon basin to the Andean region.  From Brazil to Mexico.  By the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans.  The plant was believed to have started out as a small fruited bush with the exact country of origin still under discussion.  Some believe it might have been Bolivia.  It was then domesticated and became a staple of the peoples' diet from the south to the north.  Chilli's were "discovered" on a voyage by Columbus, who gave them the name of pimiento, or pepper, because the pungency of the red fruits reminded him of black pepper.  Black pepper is Piper nigrum L., and is in no way related to chilli's but the name stuck.  He took them back to Spain and Portugal.  "Peppers" made their way to Africa, India, Europe, Middle East and Asia, it is believed by the Portuguese, who took the peppers along with them on their trade routes.  Africa and India took right to them.  Europe not so much at first.  They were mostly grown as ornamentals in monasteries until the Napoleonic blockade cut off the supply of spices and so they turned to the peppers as a substitute. 

They say chilli's came about in the States by birds that spread the seeds up to New Mexico.  Seeds were supposedly also introduced to the Pueblo's in the late 1500's and slowly worked their way east to other tribes to eventually the east coast and to where Washington and Jefferson both planted chilli's in their gardens.

Chilli's come from the family Solanaceae which also include the tomato, potato and eggplant to name a few.  The Genus is Capsicum L., which is named for the chemical compound capsaicin, found in the chillies.  Kapto is Greek for "to bite", referencing the spiciness of the fruit.   There are 28 species named, with 5 being domesticated and 23 being wild.  Of the 5, the Capsicum annuum, is the species with the most varieties.  Anaheim's, bells, cayenne, pimento, Hungarian, jalapeno, pepperonci, poblano and paprika are just a few varieties.  C annum, which means annual but in reality is not an annual in it's native habitat, supposedly had it's origin in northern Central America.  C. Chinense species consist of the habaneros and scotch bonnets.  Chinense means from China, but it was evidently named wrong back in the 1700's!  This species is native to the southern most part of South America and are common in the Caribbean.  C. frutescens species consist of the tabasco chili.  It supposedly originated in Brazil.  These 3 species are all closely botanically related that there is some speculation that they might have all 3 originated from one original species.  The other 2 domesticated species are C baccatum which consist of the aji pepper which is used often domestically but has never made the transition out of the region.  The last is C. pubescens known as rocoto or locoto in Bolivia.  It is one of the oldest domesticated chillies and is closely linked to the groups of wild species.  It is very hot, black seeded and the leaves are "hairy" which in itself makes it different.

Chillies are so good for us, they contain vitamin C, B6, carotene, potassium, magnesium and iron just to name a few.  The capsaicin found in them is used for circulatory problems, as a decongestant, pain reliever, anti inflammatory, anti oxidant, anti fungal and the list goes on.

Plain?  ordinary?  Nope.  We should all have such an extraordinary history.