Chili

Chili - also called Chili, chile, chilly, chily, Mirchi, chili pepper, Aji, Paprika

Chili is the fruit of plant belonging to Capsicum genus. Chili is one of the most spices garnishing dishes.

Family :  Solanaceae    Genus :  Capsicum
Species :  Capsicum annum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum chinense

Chili is fruit of plants belonging to Capsicum genus. Capsicum is derived from the Greek word "Kapsimo" meaning "to bite." Chili is an indispensable spice used as basic ingredient in everyday cuisine all over the world. The chili powder is made by crushing the dried chili having chili flakes and chili pods....> Read More.

• There are more than 400 varieties of chili available all over the world. They differ in pungency, size, shape and colors.
  Click Here to Know More on Chili Varieties.
   
• The climate in India was favorable to cultivate chilies and soon many varieties of chili were available in India.
  Click Here to Know More on Indian Chili Varieties.
   
• The Scoville Organoleptic Test was invented by a pharmacist, Wilbur L. Scoville, in 1912.
  Click Here to Know More on Scoville Scale.
   

How to spell "Chili "?

Christopher Columbus called chili as 'pepper.' The misnomer pepper was used because Christopher thought it belonged to black pepper family.

India - Chili, also called Mirchi in Hindi
In India, it is spelled as chili. However, the common term used for chili is 'Mirchi' in Hindi language.
America - Chile and Chile pepper
The term 'chile' is not to be confused with the country Chile. The Americans followed the Spanish spelling 'chile.' Although its fruit is known as aji. Chili is popular too, but it is often confused with the official state dish of Texas 'chili'.
Europe - Chili , Chili
Chili (chili con carne) is commonly used in European countries. Although in Oxford English Dictionary, it has the spelling chili.

There are other names used to refer the fruit of capsicum plant like hot pepper commonly called as chile pepper, bell pepper commonly known as capsicum pepper.

Origin of Chili

Chili has been part of human's gourmet food from the ancient times. The capsicum plant is indigenous to Central and South America . It was used from 7000 BC in Mexico and was cultivated from 3500 BC. Chili was known to the western world when Christopher Columbus discovered American in 1493. Today, chili is available in different shapes, sizes and colors all over the world. Chili has been an important culinary spice to be included in different cuisines like Italian food, Mexican food, Chinese food, French food, Japanese Food, and Indian food. Chili was used in variety of forms like green chile sauce, salsas, red chile sauce, chili powder...> Read More.

Chili FAQs