Chili is an early example of trans-continental trade and prime examples of the Columbian exchange.
Chili was one of many plants from Central America that were introduced to Europeans in the 1500s as a result of European exploration and colonization of the Americas. The term first appeared in the English language in 1662 in a book called The Indian nectar: A discourse concerning chocolate written by Henry Stubbe who was better known for his religious and political books. The work included a description of how the indigenous populations of Latin and South American drink chocolate and cites the specific example of Guatemalans who invited their neighbours over for a cup of chocolate to which they added anise-seeds, chili or pepper.
Due to Spanish conquistadors, the chili found its way back to Spain probably soon after Columbus’ first voyage. One of the main ports between 1500 and 1700s was Lisbon. Chili shipments arrivedhere from Mexico and went out to India via the Portuguese traders who were looking for spices in Asia. And so it happened that a plant native to South America arrived in India which is the world’s biggest producer of chili today.
Chili, while a major component of Indian curry, is still also used heavily in Mexican dishes, Korean kimchi and recently even became a popular ingredient for chocolate bars.
