Since New Mexico leads the nation in chile production, we proudly stick
with the non-Websterian spelling of the fruit. Chiles are another food
of the Americas, sharing the typical solanum family star-shaped flower
with the tomato and the potato. Many thousands of years ago, the plant
which ultimately produced all members of the pepper family, both hot
and
sweet, originated in what is today Bolivia. From there it rapidly made
its way to Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The chile pepper
was honored by the American natives in pottery and tapestries. It even
functioned as a form of currency.
Peppers were carried by the Spanish and the Portuguese to their
territories
in Asia and Africa by the early 1500’s. The Turks probably introduced
the
chile pepper to Hungary in the mid-15th century, a country which found
a profound affinity for the fruit.
Centuries later Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi extracted
Vitamin
C in quantity for the first time from the chile pepper. In 1937 he won
the Nobel Prize for his efforts.
Chile pepper patch.
California bell pepper harvest.
Reproduction of an Pre-Columbian embroidery of a possible diety figure
holding chile pepper plants.
Pre-Columbian bowl with chile pepper design. (reproduction)
Another reproduction of a pre-Columbian pot with six chile pepper
legs and seated figure.
Chile peppers headdress on a Hopi kachina doll.
Indonesian vendor features a basket full of chile peppers.
Columbus, seeking black pepper,set out to find a shortcut to the East
Indies (Indonesia) and
came upon instead chile peppers in the West Indies of North America.
Chinese scene of stringing out to dry the chile pepper harvest.
New Mexicans in the SW of the USA stringing chile peppers too.
They are know as ristras.
Chile peppers are grown in the French Basque region around Espellette...
.which holds a chile pepper harvest festival each year.
Hungarian paprika (chile pepper) spice tin, circa. 1970's.
Unlike the French who use mostly sweet, mild chile pepper spice, the
Hungarians
are know for their spicy hot foods featuring paprika.
Peppers were the plant from which Hungarian Nobel Prize winner
Albert Szent-Gyorgyi finally extracted sufficient quantities of vitamin
C with ease after
trying other sources for years.
Our Chile Pepper Exhibit continues here.
