chili pepper

7/22/2019 Chili Pepper

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CHILI PEPPER

Chili pepper(fromNahuatlchilli, chilli pepper, chilli, chillie, chili, and chile) is

the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae.

Chili peppers originated in the Americas. After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili

pepper spread across the world, used in both food and medicine.

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least !"" #C.

$here is archaeological evidence at sites located in southwestern Ecuador that chili peppers

were domesticated more than %""" years ago, and is one of the first cultivated crops in the

Americas that is self&pollinating.

Chili peppers were domesticated at least in different parts of 'outh and Central America.

Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to encounter them (in the Caribbean), and

called them peppers because they, lie blac and white pepper of thePipergenus nown in

Europe, have a spicy hot taste unlie other foodstuffs. *pon their introduction into Europe chilis

were grown as botanical curiosities in the gardens of 'panish and +ortuguese monasteries. #ut

the mons experimented with the chilis culinary potential and discovered that their pungency

offered a substitute for blac peppercorns, which at the time were so costly that they were used

as legal currency in some countries.

Chilies were cultivated around the globe after Columbus. -iego lvare/ Chanca, a

physician on Columbus second voyage to the 0est 1ndies in 2345, brought the first chili peppers

to 'pain, and first wrote about their medicinal effects in 2343. 6rom 7exico, at the time the

'panish colony that controlled commerce with Asia, chili peppers spread rapidly into

the +hilippines and then to 1ndia, China, 8orea and 9apan. $hey were incorporated into the local

cuisines.

An alternate account for the spread of chili peppers is that the +ortuguese got the pepper

from 'pain, and cultivated it in 1ndia. $he chili pepper figures heavily in the cuisine of the :oan

region of 1ndia, which was the site of a +ortuguese colony (e.g., vindaloo, an 1ndian

interpretation of a +ortuguese dish).
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Chili peppers ;ourneyed from 1ndia, through Central Asia and $urey, to


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COMMON SPECIES OF CHILI PEPPERS

2. Capsicum annuum, which includes many common varieties such as bell

peppers, wax, cayenne, ;alapeos, and the chiltepin

$he plant is aperennial, but usually grown as an annual, with a densely branched

stem. $he plant reaches ".!D2.! m ("D%" in). 'ingle white flowers bear the fruit which is

green when unripe, changing principally to red, although some varieties may ripen to

other colors including brown and purple.

$he green foliage is highlighted by purple veins and beautiful purple flowers.

'turdy plants grow 5"&5% tall and produces 5&3 fruits similar in shape to a ;alapeno, but

blac in color ripening to red.

. Capsicumfrutescens, which includes the chiles derbol,malagueta, tabascoand

$haipeppers.

$he Capsicum frutescens species liely originated in 'outh or Central America. 1t

spread Fuicly throughout the tropical and subtropical regions in this area and still grows

wild today. Capsicum frutescens is currently native to the ma;ority of Central America as

well as Northern and 0estern 'outh America. 1t is believed that C. frutescens is the

ancestor to the C. chinese species.

+epper varieties in Capsicum frutescenscan be annual or short&lived perennial

plants. 6lowers are white with a greenish white or greenish yellow corolla, and are either

insect or self&fertili/ed. $he plants berries typically grow erect> ellipsoid&conical to

lanceoloid shaped. $hey are usually very small and pungent, growing 2"&"mm long and

5&mm in diameter. 6ruit typically grows a pale yellow and matures to a bright red, butcan also be other colors. C. frutescens has a smaller variety of subspecies, liely because

of the lac of human breeding compared to other capsicum species. 7ore recently,

however, C. frutescens has been bred to produce ornamental strains, because of its large

Fuantities of erect peppers growing in colorful ripening patterns.
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5. Capsicum chinense, which includes the hottest peppers such as

the naga,habanero,-atiland 'cotch bonnet.

Capsicum chinenseor Chinese capsicum is a misnomersince allcapsicaoriginate in the New 0orld.Niolaus 9oseph von 9acFuin(2&2?2),

a-utchbotanist, erroneously named the species in 2%, because he believed that they

originated in China.

3. Capsicum pubescens,which includes the 'outh Americanrocotopeppers.

Capsicum pubescensis a species of the genus Capsicum(pepper), which is found

primarily inCentraland 'outh America. $he name componentpubescensmeans hairy,

which refers to the hairy leaves of this pepper. $he plants, but especially the fruits, are

often referred to asrocoto(GuechuaH ruqutu) and locoto(AymaraH luqutu). As they reach

a relatively advanced age and the roots lignify Fuicly, sometimes the familiar name is

tree chili. @f all the domesticated species of peppers, this is the least widespread and

systematically furthest away from all others. A very notable feature of this species is its

ability to withstand cooler temperatures than other pepper plants.

=ie all other species of the genus Capsicum, plants of the species Capsicumpubescensgrow as a shrub, but sometimes as climbing plants. $hey grow into four&meter

woody plants relatively Fuicly, and live up to 2! years, which gives them, especially

with age, an almost tree&lie appearance. After a first impulse is formed, the plant

branches at a height of about 5" cm for the first time, and forms during growth by further

dividing into a bushy appearance. 7ore shoots develop from the leaf axils. 'ome

varieties have purple discoloration on the branches, as can be observed in

other Capsicumspecies. $he leaves have a !D2 mm long petiole and a leaf blade ovate

to !D2 cm long, .! to 3 cm wide, tapering at the top and the base is wedge&shaped.

1n addition to the relatively long life, Capsicum pubescensdiffers in many other

characteristics from related species. 7ost striing is the eponymous coat, which is on

leaves, stems, and sometimes found on the sepals of the flowers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_chinensehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_jolokiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_jolokiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datil_pepperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datil_pepperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_bonnet_(pepper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaus_Joseph_von_Jacquinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_pubescenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_pubescenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocotohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocotohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocotohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechua_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymara_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_chinensehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_jolokiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datil_pepperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_bonnet_(pepper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Cropshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaus_Joseph_von_Jacquinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_pubescenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocotohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechua_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymara_language


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!. Capsicum baccatum, which includes the 'outh American a;i peppers.

+epper varieties in the Capsicum baccatumspecies have white or cream colored

flowers, and typically have a green or gold corolla. $he flowers are either insect or self&

fertili/ed. $he fruit pods of the baccatum species have been cultivated into a wide variety

of shapes and si/es, unlie other capsicum species which tend to have a characteristic

shape. $he pods typically hang down, unlie a capsicum frutescensplant, and can have a

citrus or fruity flavor.

$he Capsicum baccatumspecies, particularly the A;Ipepper, is typically

associated with +eruvian culture. $oday the A;I pepper is mainly seen in 'outh American

marets. $he wild baccatum species (C. baccatum var. baccatum) is most common in#olivia with outlier populations in +eru (rare) and +araguay, northern Argentina, and

southern #ra/il.

USES

Chiliis widely used, although in much of 'outh America the plant and its vegetable are

better nown as aj, locoto, chile, or rocoto.


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Chilliwas the original Bomani/ation of the Nhuatl language word for the fruit

(chlli) and is the preferred #ritish spelling according to the Oxford n!lish "ictionar#, although

it also lists chileand chilias variants.

$he name of the plant bears no relation to Chile, the country, which is named afterthe Guechua chin(cold), tchili(snow), or chilli(where the land ends). Chile and +uerto

Bico are two of the 'panish&speaing countries where chilis are nown as aj, a word

of $aInoorigin. $here is also some disagreement on the use of the word pepper for chilis

becausepepperoriginally referred to the genus +iper, not Capsicum> however this usage is

included in English dictionaries, including the @xford English -ictionary (sense b ofpepper)

and 7erriam&0ebster. $he wordpepperis commonly used in the botanical and culinary fields in

the names of different types of chili peppers.

Culinary uses

Chili pepper plant leaves, mildly bitter but not nearly as hot as the fruits that come

from the same plant, are cooed as greensin 6ilipino cuisine, where they are

called dahon n! sili(literally chili leaves). $hey are used in the chicen soup, tinola. 1n

8orean cuisine, the leaves may be used in imchi. 1n 9apanese cuisine, the leaves are

cooed as greens, and also cooed intsu$udanistyle for preservation.

Psychology

+sychologist+aul Bo/insuggests that eating chilis is an example of a constrained ris

lie riding a roller coaster, in which extreme sensations lie pain and fear can be en;oyed

because individuals now that these sensations are not actually harmful. $his method lets

people experience extreme feelings without any ris of bodily harm.

Medicinal

Although some chiles are Fuite hot, most are valued for their soothing effects on

the digestive system, relief from symptoms of colds, sore throats and fevers, circulation,

especially for cold hands and feet, and as a hangover remedies. +eppers can act as a heart

stimulant which regulates blood flow and strengthens the arteries, possibly reducing heart
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attacs. Nutritionally, fresh chile peppers are an excellent source of calcium and vitamin

C. Jou can mae a chile tincture (medicine), especially from the hottest varieties, by

drying the peppers and grounding into a powder. *se one or two tablespoons in warm

water for relief of may symptoms. @r pac chile powder into gel capsules for use when

maing a tea is not convenient.

Capsaicin is a remarable health&promoting substance. #ut since burning and

irritation are common side effects, it may be wise to start using it slowly and building up

a tolerance for larger Fuantities.

indeed this was first

isolated in


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$he capsaicin of chile peppers is also used offensively in pepper sprays since it is

very irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. Chile pepper is still used in Ayurvedic

therapy to treat peptic ulcers. Currently, capsaicin is used topically in proprietary creams

to treat pain and neuropathies, whereas formerly chile&impregnated plasters and poultices

were similarly used. $he addition of chile pepper to chicen soup (with accompanying

garlic and other herbs) is recommended as a useful therapy for colds, sinusitis

and bronchitis.

7ost people dont eat chili peppers in large Fuantities, but the amount of vitamin

C is still significant. And red chilies (although not green ones) are full of beta&carotene.

$he nutritional aspect of hot peppers most interesting to researchers today, however, is

capsaicin&&the compound that gives chilies their burn. Capsaicin seems to have a

positive effect on blood cholesterol, and also wors as an anticoagulant. And the high

that some people experience when eating fiery chili&spied foods is a perfectly safe oneH

'ome scientists theori/e that in response to the discomfort produced by the chilies

burn, the brainreleases endorphins&&substances that, at high levels, can create a

sensation of pleasure.

1n a study of "" patients with psoriasis, application of a "."!&percent capsaicin

cream significantly reduced itching, scaling, thicness, and redness compared with

patients who used a plain cream.

Capsicum (Cayenne +epper)can reduce pain which serves as a local anesthetic to

ulcerated tissue in the stomach and can even help to control bleeding in the stomach.

'ome individuals may be bothered by eating Bed +epper or spicy foods, these foods do

not cause the formation of gastric ulcers in normal people. An interesting note is that

people suffering from ulcers usually avoid Cayenne +epper, in fact those people may

actually benefit from its therapeutic action.

$aing Capsicum may significantly reduce the ris of ever developing a pepticulcer. A Chinese study published in 244! stated, @ur data supports the hypothesis that

the chile used has a protective effect against peptic ulcer disease.

Another 244! study found that Capsicum can even protect the stomach lining

from aspirin induced ulcers.
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Aspirin can cause stomach ulceration in certain individuals or if taen with too little

water or ;uice. Besearchers have concluded after experimenting with human volunteers that

the capsaicin content of capsicum has a definite gastro & protective effect on the mucous

membranes of the stomach.5Eighteen healthy volunteers with normal gastrointestinal mucosa

too chile and water followed by %"" mg of aspirin and water. $he study was conducted over

a period of four wees. Endoscopy results showed that taing " grams of chile before the

aspirin definitely demonstrated a protective action on the stomach lining.

Capsicum has the ability to rebuild stomach tissue. Capsicum has the ability to bring

blood to regions of tissue at a faster rate boosts the assimilation of foods that are consumed

with it. 'everal clinical studies support this phenomenon. 1t has been thought that Capsicum

stimulate the release of substances which increase secretions in the stomach and intestines

plus can increase an abundance of blood to the stomach and intestines. 1n fact, Capsicum canincreases the flow of digestive secretions from the salivary, gastric and intestinal glands

Irritant weapon

Capsaicin extracted from chillis is used in asprayas a non&lethal weapon.

Crop deense

6armers in Africa and on the 1ndian subcontinent have found the use of chilis

effective in crop defense against elephants. $he chilis are spread on fences and other

structures to eep the elephants away. #ecause the elephants have a large and sensitive

olfactory and nasal system the smell of the chilli causes them discomfort and deters them

from feeding on the crops. $his can lessen dangerous physical confrontation between

people and elephants.

Food deense

As birds have a lessened sensitivity to the effects of chili it can be used to eep

mammalian vermin from bird seed.
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NU!RI!ION"L #"LUE

Bed chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene (provitamin A). Jellow and

especially green chilis (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amount

of both substances. 1n addition, peppers are a good source of most # vitamins, and vitamin #%inparticular. $hey are very high in potassium, magnesium, and iron. $heir high vitamin C content

can also substantially increase the uptae of non&heme iron from other ingredients in a meal,

such as beans and grains.

Chili peppers are eaten by birds living in the chili peppers natural range. $he seeds of the

peppers are distributed by the birds that drop the seeds while eating the pods, and the seeds pass

through the digestive tract unharmed. $his relationship may have promoted the evolution of the

protective capsaicin. +roducts based on this substance have been sold to treat the seeds in birdfeeders to deter sFuirrels and other mammalian vermin without also deterring birds. Capsaicin is

also a defense mechanism against microbial fungi that invade through punctures made in the

outer sin by various insects.

chili pepper

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