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Ingredient

Chili Pepper

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

The fruit of Capsicum species, native to the Americas and the source of the capsaicin that gives Mexican, Sichuan, Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine much of their characteristic heat. Unknown outside the Americas before European contact, it spread with extraordinary speed after the Columbian Exchange and was fully naturalized into cuisines across Asia and Africa within a few centuries, to the point that several of those cuisines are now unimaginable without it.

Facts
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year)
6000 BCE to 4000 BCE 1
Origin Region
The Americas 1
Connections

Expresses Tradition

Pickling, Food Traditions
Source On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the KitchenHarold McGee
Spice Trade Traditions, Food Traditions
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Used By

Aji de Gallina, Dishes
Bibimbap, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Biryani, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Caribbean Cuisine, Cuisines

Scotch bonnet chili is central to Caribbean seasoning.

Source Caribbean Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Ceviche, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Chili con Carne, Dishes
Source Chili con Carne (Wikipedia)
Couscous, Dishes

Traditionally served alongside couscous as harissa rather than cooked into the grain itself.

Source Harissa, Knowledge, Skills and Culinary and Social Practices (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, RL 01710)
Curry, Dishes
Doro Wat, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Ethiopian Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Green Papaya Salad, Dishes
Source Green Papaya Salad (Wikipedia)
Hungarian Cuisine, Cuisines

Paprika, the defining Hungarian spice, is ground from a dried chili pepper cultivar.

Source Hungarian Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Indian Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Jollof Rice, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Kimchi, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Korean Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Kung Pao Chicken, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Mexican Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Mole Poblano, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
North African Cuisine, Cuisines

Chili pepper reached North Africa only after the Columbian Exchange and is most closely associated with harissa rather than being a founding ingredient of the cuisine.

Source Harissa, Knowledge, Skills and Culinary and Social Practices (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, RL 01710)
Pad Thai, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Peruvian Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
South African Cuisine, Cuisines
Source The Complex History of Cape Muslim Cuisine (Daily Maverick)
Tacos al Pastor, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Tandoori Chicken, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Thai Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Tom Yum, Dishes
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Vietnamese Cuisine, Cuisines
Source A Taste of Vietnam, from Hearty Sour Broths to Fragrantly Spiced Street Food (National Geographic)Thuy Diem Pham
West African Cuisine, Cuisines
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Sources
1. The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014
  • entry: Chilli peppers
  • Used By: Kimchi
  • Used By: Bibimbap
  • Used By: Pad Thai
  • Used By: Tom Yum
  • Used By: Ceviche
  • Used By: Doro Wat
  • Used By: Biryani
  • Used By: Jollof Rice
  • Used By: Kung Pao Chicken
  • Used By: Mole Poblano
  • Used By: Tacos al Pastor
  • Used By: Tandoori Chicken
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Harold McGee, Scribner, 2004Expresses Tradition: Pickling, ch. on vegetables and fruit, pickling
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Expresses Tradition: Spice Trade Traditions, s.v. Columbian ExchangeView the Source
Larousse Gastronomique
Hamlyn, 2009
  • Used By: Indian Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: Mexican Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: West African Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: Ethiopian Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: Korean Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: Thai Cuisine, entry: Chilli
  • Used By: Peruvian Cuisine, entry: Chilli
A Taste of Vietnam, from Hearty Sour Broths to Fragrantly Spiced Street Food (National Geographic)
Thuy Diem Pham, National Geographic, 2023Used By: Vietnamese CuisineView the Source
Harissa, Knowledge, Skills and Culinary and Social Practices (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, RL 01710)
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2022
  • Used By: North African Cuisine
  • Used By: Couscous
View the Source
The Complex History of Cape Muslim Cuisine (Daily Maverick)
Daily Maverick, 2020Used By: South African CuisineView the Source
Caribbean Cuisine (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUsed By: Caribbean CuisineView the Source
Hungarian Cuisine (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUsed By: Hungarian CuisineView the Source
Chili con Carne (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUsed By: Chili con Carne, Lead section
Quote, Used By: Chili con Carne, Lead section
is a spicy stew of Mexican origin containing chili peppers (sometimes in the form of chili powder), meat (usually beef), tomatoes, and beans.
View the Source
Green Papaya Salad (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUsed By: Green Papaya Salad, History section
Quote, Used By: Green Papaya Salad, History section
Papayas and chili peppers were introduced to Southeast Asia by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 17th century from the Americas in the Columbian Exchange.
View the Source
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