| Christopher Columbus didn't just sail the | | | | been right about the origins, but he did help |
| ocean blue and discover the New World in 1492 | | | | popularize chile peppers. (A chile by any |
| while trying to find a short cut to the East | | | | other name will be just as hot, right?) He |
| Indies. He sampled a plant, thought it was a | | | | brought back samples to the Iberian Peninsula |
| relative of the black pepper, and dubbed it a | | | | and they quickly spread about the world. And |
| "pepper."So began several hundred years of | | | | if you think that today's hot sauce explosion |
| misinformation about chile peppers. Unlike | | | | is amazing, check this out. According to the |
| what Christopher Columbus thought, they | | | | Foodies Corner of MSN.com, roughly 50 years |
| aren't related to black pepper and they | | | | after Columbus brought home peppers, they |
| didn't originate in India.Hot peppers | | | | were being cultivated on all coasts of |
| actually came from somewhere in South | | | | Africa, India, Asia, China, the Middle East, |
| America. There they were known as Aji | | | | the Balkans, Central Europe and Italy. |
| [technically there should an accent over the | | | | Peppers spread faster than kudzu.And although |
| "I" leaning towards the right]. Chile | | | | Columbus brought peppers to Spain, it was the |
| peppers, which hail from the genus Capsicum | | | | Portugese traders who actually spread their |
| are not related to black pepper. Instead they | | | | use and cultivate, according to the Foodies |
| are members of the nightshade (Solanaceae) | | | | Corner. Portuguese trading partners in turn |
| family and are related to tomatoes, cherries | | | | spread peppers to Asia and the Arab world by |
| and eggplant."Well into the 19th century, | | | | the early 1500s. The Turks reportedly brought |
| most Europeans continued to believe that | | | | the chile pepper to Hungary in the mid-15th |
| peppers were native to India and the Orient, | | | | century.Today, no matter what language you |
| until Alphonse de Candolle, a botanist, | | | | speak, peppers are popular, especially with |
| produced convincing linguistic evidence for | | | | the Thais, who reportedly consume more chiles |
| the South America origin of the genus | | | | on a daily basis than any other people.This |
| Capsicum," states MSN.com's Foodies | | | | article was written by Eric Vinje of Cosmic |
| Corner.Whether you call them aji or chile | | | | Chile. |
| peppers, these plants were likely first | | | | |
| cultivated as early as 5000 BC. By 1492, | | | | |
| Native Americans had domesticated at least | | | | |
| four species. In the West Indies, Columbus | | | | Shop online for hot sauces, salsas, spicy |
| found several different capsicums cultivated | | | | BBQ sauces and more. If it's fiery foods |
| by the Arawak Indians.Columbus might not have | | | | you're after...we've got it! |