Chili pepper

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"Red Chillies" redirects here. For the film, see Red Chillies  (film). "Hot pepper" redirects
here. For other uses, see Hot pepper (disambiguation). For the dish often called simply
"Chili", see Chili con carne.

Chili pepper

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Asterids

Order: Solanales

Family: Solanaceae

Tribe: Capsiceae
L.

Genus: Capsicum
L.
 Varieties and Groups

 C.
annuum  var.  glabriu
sculum[1]
 C. annuum 'Bell'
 C. annuum 'Cayenne'
 C.
annuum 'Jalapeño'
 C. annuum 'New
Mexico Group' (New
Mexico chile)
 C. annuum 'Poblano'
 C.
chinense 'Habanero'
 C. chinense 'Scotch
bonnet'
 C. frutescens 'Peri-
peri'
 C.
frutescens 'Tabasco
pepper'

Synonyms[2]

show

Synonymy

Pottery that tested positive for Capsicum sp. residues excavated at Chiapa de Corzo in southern
Mexico dated from Middle to Late Preclassic periods (400 BC to 300 AD)
Young chili plants

Illustration from the Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu (1804)

The chili pepper (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli[3]),

from Nahuatl chīlli (Nahuatl pronunciation: [ˈt͡ʃiːlːi] ( listen)), is the berry-fruit of plants from
the genus Capsicum which are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae.
[4]
 Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add pungent 'heat' to
dishes. Capsaicin and related compounds known as capsaicinoids are the
substances giving chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically.
Although this definition would technically include bell peppers, in common language
they are often two discrete categories: bell peppers and chili peppers.
Chili peppers originated in Mexico.[5] After the Columbian Exchange,
many cultivars of chili pepper spread across the world, used for both food
and traditional medicine. This diversity has led to a wide variety of varieties and
cultivars, including the annuum species, with its glabriusculum variety and New
Mexico cultivar group, and the species of baccatum, chinense, frutescens,
and pubescens.
Cultivars grown in North America and Europe are believed to all derive
from Capsicum annuum, and have white, yellow, red or purple to black fruits. In
2016, the world's production of raw green chili peppers amounted to 34.5
million tons, with China producing half.[6]

Contents

 1History

o 1.1Origins

o 1.2Distribution to Europe

o 1.3Distribution to Asia

 2Production

 3Species and cultivars

 4Intensity

o 4.1Common peppers
 o 4.2Notable hot chili peppers

 5Uses

o 5.1Culinary uses

o 5.2Ornamental plants

o 5.3Psychology

o 5.4Medicinal

o 5.5Chemical irritants

o 5.6Crop defense

o 5.7Food defense

 6Nutritional value

 7Spelling and usage

 8Gallery

 9See also

 10External links

 11Further reading

 12References

History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Capsicum fruits have been a part of human diets since about 7,500 BC, and are one
of the oldest cultivated crops in the Americas,[7] as origins of cultivating chili peppers
are traced to east-central Mexico some 6,000 years ago.[8][9] They were one of the
first self-pollinating crops cultivated in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South
America.[7]
Peru is the country with the highest cultivated Capsicum diversity because it is a
center of diversification where varieties of all five domesticates were introduced,
grown, and consumed in pre-Columbian times.[10] Bolivia is the country where the
largest diversity of wild Capsicum peppers is consumed. Bolivian consumers
distinguish two basic forms: ulupicas, species with small round fruits including C.
eximium, C. cardenasii, C. eshbaughii, and C. caballeroi landraces; and arivivis with
small elongated fruits including C. baccatum var. baccatum and C.
chacoense varieties.[10]
Distribution to Europe[edit]
When Christopher Columbus and his crew reached the Caribbean, they were the
first Europeans to encounter Capsicum. They called them "peppers" because,
like black pepper of the genus Piper known in Europe, they have a spicy, hot taste
unlike other foods.[11]

Red Cubanelle chili peppers

Distribution to Asia[edit]
The spread of chili peppers to Asia occurred through its introduction by Portuguese
traders, who – aware of its trade value and resemblance to the spiciness of black
pepper – promoted its commerce in the Asian spice trade routes.[7][11][12] It was
introduced in India by the Portuguese towards the end of the 15th century. [13] In 21st
century Asian cuisine, chili peppers are commonly used across diverse regions. [14][15]

Production[edit]
Green chili production – 2016

(Millions
Region
of tons)

 China 17.4

 Mexico 2.7

 Turkey 2.5

 European Union 2.3

 Indonesia 2.0

 Spain 1.1
  United States 0.9

World 34.5

Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations[6]

In 2016, 34.5 million tonnes of green chili peppers and 3.9 million tonnes of dried
chili peppers were produced worldwide. [6] China was the world's largest producer of
green chilis, providing half of the global total. Global production of dried chili peppers
was about one ninth of fresh production, led by India with 36% of the world total. [6][16]

Species and cultivars[edit]

See also: List of Capsicum cultivars

Thai pepper, similar in variety to the African birdseye, exhibits considerable strength for its size

There are five domesticated species of chili peppers. Capsicum annuum includes

many common varieties such as bell
peppers, wax, cayenne, jalapeños, Thai peppers, chiltepin, and all forms of New
Mexico chile. Capsicum frutescens includes malagueta, tabasco, piri piri,
and Malawian Kambuzi. Capsicum chinense includes the hottest peppers such as
the naga, habanero, Datil and Scotch bonnet. Capsicum pubescens includes the
South American rocoto peppers. Capsicum baccatum includes the South
American aji peppers.[17]
Though there are only a few commonly used species, there are many cultivars and
methods of preparing chili peppers that have different names for culinary use. Green
and red bell peppers, for example, are the same cultivar of C. annuum, immature
peppers being green. In the same species are the jalapeño, the poblano (which
when dried is referred to as ancho), New Mexico, serrano, and other cultivars.
Peppers are commonly broken down into three groupings: bell peppers, sweet
peppers, and hot peppers. Most popular pepper varieties are seen as falling into one
of these categories or as a cross between them.