Chili Cultivation in the Americas

Chilis have been cultivated by humans for millenia. The first archeological record of humans cultivating chilis comes from Mexico circa 6000BCE, likely in the Tehuacán Valley. Archaeological evidence shows the oldest Capsicum starch grains were found in southwestern Ecuador at two sites dating to 6,100 years ago. [1]. In subsequent millenia, the practice of chili cultivatation spread throughout the Americas.

The indigenous peoples of the Americas developed numerous varieties through selective breeding long before European contact. They used chilis for:

  • Medicine (pain relief, treating infections)
  • Preserving food
  • Religious and ritual purposes
  • Warfare (creating burning smoke)

Early reports from conquistadors cited a large presence of chilies in Aztec and Mayan traditions, used not only to flavour food but also to fumigate houses and to help cure illness.[2]

Rapid global adoption timeline:

  • 1493: Chilies appear in Spanish records by 1493.[3]
  • 1500s: Reach Europe, Africa, and Asia
  • 1526: Appeared in Italy
  • 1543: Reached Germany
  • 1569: By 1569 in the Balkans, where they came to be processed into paprika.[3]

The Portuguese role:

The Portuguese appear to be the first traders to have spread the chili pepper globally.[4] They introduced them to:

  • Africa and Arabia
  • Trading posts in Asia (Goa, Sri Lanka, Malacca)
  • India (where by the middle of the 16th century, chillies were being consumed in Goa under the name of 'Pernambuco pepper')[5]

Why chilis spread so quickly:

Chilies spread so quickly in part because they are easy to grow in a wide range of climates and conditions, and therefore cheap and always available.[6] Additional factors included:

  • People thought they were a new type of black pepper
  • Much cheaper than black pepper (previously a luxury)
  • Easy to cultivate in various climates
  • Seeds remain viable for long periods
  • Birds naturally spread them by eating fruits

Within just 50-100 years of European contact, chilis had transformed cuisines on every inhabited continent. The dispersal was so swift and thorough that botanists long held chili peppers to be native to India or Indochina, but all scholars now concur that it is a New World plant with origins in South America.[2]