Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Chile History”
Quest for Fire Archive Just scroll down to read the articles. Interesting Stuff from 2002 Chiles Repel Farm-Raiding Elephants Bam! It’s Spam-Fest! Michelada: The Latest Beer and Chile Craze Interesting Stuff from 2001 Red or Green? The Official State Question of New Mexico A Spicy Toothpaste Watch out, Gummy Bears: The German Gummy Chiles are coming! “Flameboyant” Chef Heats …
By Dave DeWitt On an August evening in A.D. 595, the Loma Caldera in what is now El Salvador erupted, sending clouds of volcanic ash into the Mayan agricultural village of Cerén, burying it twenty feet deep and turning it into the New World equivalent of Pompeii. Miraculously, all the villagers escaped, but what they left behind gives us a …
By Dave DeWitt The ritual uses of the genus Capsicum range from the innocuous to the murderous, but the fiery pods are always powerful. In astrology, Capsicums fall under the dominion of Mars, ancient god of war, so that should be some indication of respect. Fuentes y Guzmán wrote in 1690 that those who frequently ate red pepper were protected …
Early Domestication of Chile Peppers Confirmed By Dave DeWitt Scientists, including researcher Linda Perry, writing in the journal Science (February 16, 2007), have proven that chile peppers were domesticated in South America at least by 6,000 years ago. Although very few prehistoric pods and pollen have been found in archeological sites, a new technique has been developed …
Why ChilesConqueredAmerica by Dave DeWitt I am constantly asked to explain the exponential growth of interest in chile peppers and the boom in fiery foods products in the U.S. over the past two decades. How did a meat and potatoes America become enamored of hot sauces, salsas, spicy snack food, chili con carne, and hundreds and hundreds of other …
