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Part - 2. Origin, history and identity
 All
the species of chili peppers (Capsicum) emerged from the region
of southern Brazil and Bolivia and spread north. They differ
from one another by color (green, yellow, or red), shape (long
or bell-shaped) and taste (sweet or spicy). It is believed that
chile peppers evolved pungency to protect the fruits from being
eaten my mammals. Birds, the natural dispersal agent of chiles,
cannot feel the heat of the capsaicinoids and thus consume the
chili peppers and disseminate the seeds. However, when mammals
eat chiles the seeds are destroyed in the digestive tract.
Whoever said the chilies are not intelligent?
 As
early as 7000 BCE Native Americans were eating the wild
‘chiltecpin’ pepper. It was domesticated between 5000 and 3000
BCE by nomadic tribes in the New World. The Incas in South
America cultivated chili peppers around 2300 BCE. They called it
‘Uchu’ or ‘Huayca’ and considered them as holy plants much like
tuLasi in India. By 1500 BCE chiles traveled north into Mexico
and became an important part of the local cuisine. When the
Mayan civilization was at its peak around 500 CE in Southern
Mexico and the Yucatan peninsula, several varieties of chiles
were grown. The Aztecs arrived in Mexico City area around 1200
CE. Their marketplaces were marked by abundant amount of various
chiles. After Columbus brought them to Europe, their cultivation
spread through Asia and Africa. Within a century after that
chilies were used as condiments for dishes in a variety of
regions in the world. Since chili cultivation thrived well in
Asia and Africa, especially in the tropical and subtropical
climates, the American origin was soon forgotten and it was
believed to have originated in India and the rest of Asia.
 The
jalapeno chili owes its name to the Mexican city of Jalapa/Xalapa
(the capital city of the province Vera Cruz) where it is grown
abundantly. This particular variety is in huge demand especially
in the United States. Mexican cuisine uses this chili very
liberally. The jalapeno is conical in shape, tapered at the tip
which is more rounded than pointed. Usually it measures 2-3
inches in length and 1-2 inches in diameter. Serrano peppers are
similar to jalapeno in flavor and shape but smaller and more
pungent. The name Serrano means “highland or mountain” (where
they are believed to have originated). These two varieties are
the traditional chili peppers used widely in Mexico.
In Europe chilies are known as “pepper from
Cayenne” (Cayenne is the capital of French Guyana). The word
cayenne is derived from a Native American dialect. In India
chiles were known only from 1500 CE. From Mexico chile peppers
spread into the Philippines and then into India, China, and
Japan through the Spanish Colonials. It is also thought that the
Portuguese might have picked up the pepper from Spain and took
it to India, from where it further spread to Central Asia,
Turkey, and Hungary where the name changed to paprika (the
national spice of Hungary).
Anatomy and taxonomy of chili pepper:
 Fruits
(berries but usually called “pods”) may be harvested ripe or
unripe. The terms exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp refer to the
regions of the chili pepper from the outside (skin) to the
inside flesh in layers. The endocarp and the seeds are
surrounded by a placenta. Contrary to popular belief the pungent
component, capsaicin, is found concentrated in the placenta and
not in the seeds. Removals of seeds and veins results in a less
pungent spice.
The chili pepper belongs to the kingdom of
Plantae. The order is Solanales and the family is Solanaceae.
The genus is Capsicum and finally the species and sub-species
are of infinite variety. We will describe the various classes to
which they belong in the next article.
Names of peppers in Indian languages:
Assamese: jolokia or jolkia
Bengali: Morich
Gujarati: Lal (red) marcha and lila (green) marcha
Hindi: Lal mirch and hari mirch
Kannada: menasina kAyi, molaku
Malayalam: chuvanna mulagu, pacha mulagu
Sanskrit: marichiphala
Thamizh: sivappu miLagAy (or miLagAyp
pazham), pachchai miLagAy (green chillies)
Telugu: mirapakayalu (chili pepper) and
miriyalu - (pepper)
Forty five
different varieties of chillies are grown in India.
In northern India and Pakistan, bell pepper is called
‘Shimla Mirch’ in the local languages. No Indian cuisine is
complete without the inclusion of mirch, be it green or red.
Fact: India
grows the most (in quantity) chili peppers in the world and
Mexico grows the widest selection of chili peppers. Usage of the
leaves to flavour drinks is reported from India.
Part 1:
(To be continued)
Sethuraman Subramanian
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