This seems to be one of the few historical worldwide surveys of chiles and their consumption globally. It is interesting for several reasons. First, it is the first debunking of the notion that chile seeds are hot that I have ever found; second, it reports on adulterated cayenne, a problem in India, England, and the U.S. for centuries; and third, …
The Great Chile Pepper Health Debate
If you’ve read some of the other articles in the Chiles and Health section of the SuperSite, you’re probably aware of just how contentious the debates have been, especially when chile peppers are accused of causing health problems like cancer and ulcers. They don’t of course, but the debate about the healing properties versus the “damaging” aspects of chile pods …
Observations on Paprika, 1844-1897
Compiled by Dave DeWitt “At the entrance of the market was planted a cohort of dealers in Paprika, who had sacks full of this red pepper, so violently pungent, that a little on the point of a knife was enough, to our taste, to spoil a dish, but of which astonishing quantities are eaten by the natives. In the hotels, …
The Virtues of Pepper, 1861
Editor’s Note: I found this interesting chile food history article while doing numerous complicated word searches in Google Books, a treasure trove of buried culinary information going back hundreds of years. I have provided the historical illustrations. –Dave DeWitt “The Virtues of Pepper, 1861” Article in The Floral World and Garden Guide, Volume 4. London: Groombridge and Sons, 1861. Cayenne …
19th Century Chile Varieties in London and Paris
Grown in the garden of the London Horticultural Society, 1832: Chili Peppers: Yellow Tree Capsicum, Red Chile, Small Red Chile, Tree Capsicum, Piment Longue Petit Tardif, Long Chile from the East Indies, Long Chile, Long Red Chile, Black Chile, Piment Violet, Indian Small Red, Cayenne Pepper. Large Long Yellow, Piment Gros, Capsicum Paprika, Short Red, Piment Cerise, Tall Cherry Red, …