Jan Timbrook Curator of Ethnography, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Most cultivated peppers – mild bells to hot jalapeños – are the fruits from different varieties of one plant species, Capsicum annuum. Closely related are Capsicum frutescens, from which Tabasco sauce is made, and C. chinense, the source of the scorchingly hot habanero or Scotch bonnet chile. Two other South American domesticated species are seldom seen in this country. In all, there are some 27 species of Capsicum, about half of which have been used by humans. All Capsicum species are members of the nightshade family, as are tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. Chile peppers are completely unrelated to black pepper, the small dried fruits of a vine called Piper nigrum that is native to the Asian tropics. Using the term ‘pepper’ for these pungent, fleshy fruits has been a source of confusion for over 500 years. They might more properly be called chiles, from the Aztec name for the pungent varieties, or capsicum, as the British refer to the mild forms. Whatever you call them, all these “peppers” originated in the New World. Since ancient times, chiles have been essential elements of both food and medicine among indigenous peoples from the American Southwest to South America. Although they first evolved south of Amazonia, chile seeds have been found in cultural deposits more than 9000 years old in the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico. Columbus brought seeds from the Caribbean islands to Western Europe, where for centuries peppers were grown primarily as ornamental plants. But people elsewhere were quickly captivated by Capsicum. In nearly all other parts of the world, as soon as chiles became known they were immediately adopted to enhance, and even transform, local cuisines. Indian curry, Thai peanut sauce, Chinese hot and sour soup, Hungarian goulash, Italian pepperoni, Cajun jambalaya – all impossible without chiles. Next page >>>