The Capsicum, a family name that includes all peppers and chilies, is a New World plant.

Distinction between the two is vague and culinary rather than botanical. We call the mild, sweet

capsicums peppers, while the hot pungent members chilies.

Capsicum's wild ancestors have been traced back to the eastern slopes of the Andes, in

Central Bolivia and the adjacent mountains to the east in Brazil, same region where tomato's wild

ancestors lived. By the time Columbus arrived, the chili pepper, or ají as the Incas called it, enjoyed

wide cultivation throughout Central America and the Caribbean. Columbus called it pepper

(pimiento) because its pungency resembled that of the black pepper (pimienta) he was searching for.

He took seeds back to Spain from Hispaniola (today's Dominican Republic and Haiti) in

1493, and from there they spread throughout the world at an amazing speed. In the 1500s the Turks,

who adored chilies, already introduced it to Central Europe, and by the end of the century virtually

the entire world was growing capsicum in some form or another. That is an amazingly fast spread

compared to the slow acceptance of tomatoes. Mild-food-loving Europe, particularly the western

and northern regions, was the slowest to integrate peppers of any sort into their cooking because

these pungent plants assaulted their taste buds. (At that time the non-pungent bell pepper have not

yet existed.)

Napoleon's blockade of European ports made chilies much more popular because people

could not get their hands on other spices. Chilies, aggressive or not, were better than no spices at all.

Chilies immigrated to North American surprisingly late and not from their native South America.

The African slaves introduced them to the Southeast plantations, along with tomatoes, in the 1700s.

Since the climate was favorable for growing chilies, their use spread quickly in that area.

Each region of the Middle East, Far East, Africa and Asia grow unique varieties to satisfy

local taste buds. From the original five domesticated species, growers over centuries developed

hundreds of new varieties (hybrids called cultivars—cultivated varieties). For example, a seed

catalogue from Florida specializing in chilies lists 137 hot and 59 mild chilies and peppers varieties.

In Mexico alone they grow at least an astonishing 90 more or less distinct varieties of

chilies, but in reality many more exist. In each remote mountainous area, villagers grow their own

variety that will thrive only under local soil and climatic conditions. Mexicans worship chilies. The

highest chili consumption in the world is in Mexico where they eat a staggering tablespoon of chili

pepper per person every day. Korea is next with two teaspoons per person.

Growers mainly cultivate two of the five domesticated species of chili peppers. One is

Capsicum annuum, that includes the familiar bell pepper, as well as cayenne and jalapeño peppers.

Capsicum frutescens includes the rest of the enormous variety of chilies. Other cultivated species

are only regionally important, mainly in South America.

How to choose them

There are not many varieties of the bell pepper. Your major choice is color. With selective

breeding you can now buy red, orange, blond, yellow, purple and almost black bell peppers, along

with all the shades in between. This rainbow is a relatively recent development.

Chilies, on the other hand, give cooks enough choices to induce a headache. In most areas

there are at least a dozen different kinds available, many more in the Southwestern U.S. Even when

there are only a few to choose from, it is not easy to recognize a particular chili for the casual user.

If you don't use chilies much in cooking, even the common types can confuse you. If you decide to

make a recipe, for example, that calls for two Fresno, two Anaheim and one New Mexico chili

(these are among the more common chilies), you may have difficulty finding the right ones. Most

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