Spicy Food: the Story of the Chili Pepper in Asia

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  • Опубліковано 3 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 326

  • @10010x0x0x01101XX0X1
    @10010x0x0x01101XX0X1 Рік тому +595

    it's really unbelievable how much the raw ingredients of Mesoamerica has influenced world cuisine. Chili peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, etc.

    • @surfacepro3328
      @surfacepro3328 Рік тому +54

      I was today years old when I learned that potatoes only came to europe in the 16th century

    • @adriani9432
      @adriani9432 Рік тому +114

      Don't forget corn and chocolate!

    • @crAZNimal
      @crAZNimal Рік тому +41

      pineapple..... !!

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому +73

      I agree, foods like potatoes and corn caused a massive population boom from the 16th century

    • @jic1
      @jic1 Рік тому +56

      @@adriani9432 And sunflowers, sweet potatoes, common beans (i.e kidney, pinto, etc.), lima beans, Jerusalem artichokes, allspice, and turkeys.

  • @sl-po2up
    @sl-po2up Рік тому +345

    The joke in Korea is, chili peppers were passed onto korea from Japan because the Japanese thought it was poison. But the Koreans absolutely loved it .

    • @sanneoi6323
      @sanneoi6323 Рік тому +8

      That is a good one

    • @cpostclothesrack2012
      @cpostclothesrack2012 Рік тому +13

      Yes its poison. Plants chemical defense. But it definitely helps in shelf life. So😂

    • @Meta_ex
      @Meta_ex Рік тому +3

      And they put sugar to savoury dishes to mild down the poison

    • @christianlacroix4
      @christianlacroix4 Рік тому +2

      Good one 😂

    • @Eeluon
      @Eeluon Рік тому +5

      In hmong it's the daughter in law trying to poison the mother in law, only for the mother in law to ask for more 😂

  • @Fergus316
    @Fergus316 Рік тому +35

    I read somewhere that pepper was already popular throughout Asia, so the reason the chili pepper was able to spread was because the locals were already eating heavily spiced food, just not chili pepper spicy. The chili pepper took hold as a cheaper alternative to pepper in provinces that were less economically powerful yet still connected to the spice trade routes that already existed.

    • @RandomUserX99
      @RandomUserX99 Рік тому +7

      That is true for places like Sichuan, where dishes have been using the famous sichuan peppercorn for centuries before the arrival of chili.

    • @alfianfahmi5430
      @alfianfahmi5430 8 місяців тому

      Indians and Chinese brought their own peppercorns throughout Asia, and as such the familiar heat of chili/bell peppers made them popular in Asia when Europeans brought them.

    • @Realatmx
      @Realatmx 4 місяці тому

      That's true in Asia mainly in India peppers were common ingredients but pepper cultivation have many limits compare to chilly so arrival of chilly made pepper lost its value it's all because of Western merchants

    • @JC-ji1hp
      @JC-ji1hp 4 місяці тому

      You are conflating “pepper” with “chili”. They are two separate groups. Chilis originate in the Americas and were spread to Asia during the Columbian exchange. Asian palates were already used to hot food similar to chilis because the heat produced in peppers is similar molecularly to capsaicin in chilis.

  • @brassen
    @brassen Рік тому +45

    四川人不怕辣 Sìchuānrén búpà là,
    湖南人辣不怕 Húnánrén là búpà,
    贵州人怕不辣 Guìzhōurén pà búlà.
    (Sichuan people don't fear spicy food, Hunan people don't fear spicy food, Guizhou people fear food which isn't spicy)

  • @danmur2797
    @danmur2797 Рік тому +109

    This video did a much better job of explaining the dispersal of chile peppers from the Americas to the rest of the world, compared to other videos covering the topic.
    One thing that is however left out in many videos, is the sheer variety of peppers that were cultivated in Mexico. Only one or two varieties really spread around the world (the pepper known in Mexico as chile de arbol or dried serrano is the classic Thai chile pepper).
    However within Mexico you also have the jalapeño, Serrano, morita, guero (yellow), Poblano/ancho, cascabel or chiltepin, pasilla/chilaca, mirasol/guajillo, habanero, chilcostle, chilhuacle, costeño, etc. All different sizes and colors. Some hot some mild. Some fresh Some dried.

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому +21

      Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
      Chili has such a rich history, especially in Mexico where they come from, such a diverse variety of chilis. One thing I did learn recently is that in Mexico dried chilis take on new names based on their drying/smoking method. I would love to dive a bit more into the fascinating history of chilis in Mexico.

    • @MercenaryBlackWaterz
      @MercenaryBlackWaterz Рік тому +15

      Most countries: Red pepper or green pepper?
      Mexico: 100 red, green and everything in between. Dried, fresh, smoked, big, small, round, long, spicy, mild, grown, wild.....and more.

    • @TaLeng2023
      @TaLeng2023 Рік тому +4

      I don't even know what this chili we call "labuyo" in the Philippines is. I have no idea what specie it is.

    • @sergpie
      @sergpie Рік тому +3

      @@TaLeng2023
      I grow Labuyo peppers in my garden! They’re Capsicum annuum, which is the common chili pepper. Labuyo have been selectively bred to retain heat, produce ample fruit, and are adapted to more humid and less sunny environments (e.g., the misty tropics). I grow them here in SoCal, but they need more shade than my other peppers.

    • @savioblanc
      @savioblanc Рік тому +4

      It's the same with potatoes.
      The sheer variety of potatoes in South America is insane compared to the usual potatoes outside of the region

  • @fernmaier6842
    @fernmaier6842 Рік тому +16

    It is true that the Portuguese did not introduce hot chilies in their cuisine, but they became popular in its colonies, and in the 70s, after their independence, hot chilies (piri-piri) were brought to Portugal, and now they are quite popular.

  • @jeonggogue3914
    @jeonggogue3914 Рік тому +25

    Yes, the chili peppers were introduced to Korea 17c, the history tells its from Spain. Before the chili peppers, kimchi was white

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому +5

      It's quite interesting about chili peppers. I have heard that N. Korean kimchi is white, so I would be interested in understanding the history of the distribution of chili in the Korean peninsula

    • @eugeneng2721
      @eugeneng2721 Рік тому +4

      Would white kimchi be a lot like sauerkraut?

    • @simonspethmann8086
      @simonspethmann8086 Рік тому +2

      ​@@eugeneng2721*hm* There's still white kimchi today (you can find the recipe e.g. on maangchi's channel). The only common ingredient btw white kimchi and sauerkraut is salt. (And, I guess, the bacteria that develop?) 😅 I guess you could make a super clean cabbage and salt version of both and then compare, but that's not very much like kimchi or sauerkraut, then. 😅

  • @sergpie
    @sergpie Рік тому +80

    I had no idea that bell peppers were not only named after the fact that they could “ring” like a bell, but that they were so loud and annoying that someone took the initiative to breed that trait out of them. That’s hilarious! 😂

    • @BrendanAndThings
      @BrendanAndThings Рік тому +5

      I'm sorry to say, but, this is a mythical story that has duped many people. 🌶️🌶️

  • @ozziebugga9725
    @ozziebugga9725 Рік тому +114

    I have often wondered what the Thais used to eat before chiles arrived from the Americas. I live in Cambodia in an old coastal pepper-growing region and what you say about the cuisines here (Thalland/Cambodia/Vietnam) is certainly true. Thank you from a new sub.

    • @landove1486
      @landove1486 Рік тому +25

      In Java Island, Indonesia, our ancestors from Hindu-Buddha era used "Cabya" (Piper retrofractum) to spice up their foods. The plant is native to our region. It exudes peppery heat as in black pepper, not chili pepper. At that time our anchestors had very close relationship with Khmer, so it could be also the case in ancient IndoChina region.

    • @10010x0x0x01101XX0X1
      @10010x0x0x01101XX0X1 Рік тому +12

      i wonder the same exact thing about indian cuisine. what was it, before tomatoes, and chilis came over to india from modern day central america

    • @NativeNordmann
      @NativeNordmann Рік тому +11

      Probably black pepper, garlic and ginger.. if you use enough black pepper right you can create nearly as spicy food as whit chilli.. probably other plants where used too but these 2 has been the big 3 of spice trade since the dawn of time.

    • @bb4251
      @bb4251 Рік тому +5

      Kampot pepper from Cambodia is definitey one of the best peppercorns in the world

    • @malithaw
      @malithaw Рік тому +3

      It was pepper aka black gold, at lesst here in Sri Lanka.

  • @JulioCesarZermenoLotina-vl6jp
    @JulioCesarZermenoLotina-vl6jp Рік тому +12

    There are hundreds of fresh and dried chile pepppers native to México, you'll see them in the weekend neighborhood markets. Not all peppers are hot, most are used for flavor.

    • @Realatmx
      @Realatmx 4 місяці тому

      Still hot for people who don't familiar with spices

  • @kasper7960
    @kasper7960 Рік тому +16

    you deserve more subscribers, exquisite content my friend

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому +2

      Thanks friend! My channel is still new, so I'm still earning my stripes

  • @junirenjana
    @junirenjana Рік тому +68

    Indonesian cuisine as a whole is generally more spicy than Thai cuisine, as we use a combination of cabe keriting (similar to cayenne) and rawit (similar to prik kee noo) a lot more generously. However, there is also a huge regional variation in terms of spiciness. Manadonese/Minahasan cuisine tend to rank top in terms of chili pepper usage (though not necessarily the spiciest). Northern Javanese cuisine (especially along the eastern coast) tend to be spicier than their Southern counterpart.
    Minangkabau cuisine from Sumatra also uses a lot of chili pepper but only as one element of diverse spice mixtures. Sumatrans absorbed a lot of Indian, Arab, and Chinese influence, resulting in them using more diverse array of spices than anywhere else in the region; one single dish can require as many as 30 distinct spices and herbs (see Acehnese-style noodle and Minang-style rendang, for example). Lastly, most modern rendition of local food such as ayam geprek and seblak also involve an unhealthy amount of chili pepper lol.

    • @ginse4891
      @ginse4891 Рік тому

      never known about this before😮 i thought all indonesians cannot tolerate spiciness thanks for sharing

    • @RandomUserX99
      @RandomUserX99 Рік тому

      that is my understanding as well, the OP seemed to not really know much about the dishes he's talking about.

    • @treehousekohtao
      @treehousekohtao Рік тому +2

      Thailand also has regional differences. The north east rice growing region is famously crazy spicy, and the south uses a lot of chillis as well.
      The far north and Central, Bangkok areas are historically quite mild.

    • @paduka23
      @paduka23 Рік тому +1

      ​@@ginse4891don't you dare with this mindset and then go to indonesia and try our food and shock 😂

    • @vonn2221
      @vonn2221 Рік тому

      ​@@ginse4891 certain part of javanese like sweet more however other ethnicity tend to go crazy with spicy food
      Even the descendant of chinese people tend always food for chili sauce/ sambal etc for each meal

  • @Dayvit78
    @Dayvit78 Рік тому

    I just discovered your channel. Early modern era history of Southeast Asia - my dream channel. Why has it taken youtube so long to recommend it? The quality seems good, so I hope you will become my favorite channel!

  • @TheTimeMachine67
    @TheTimeMachine67 Рік тому +5

    As somebody who grows peppers, I think the climate’s effect on the peppers contributes greatly to the typical spice preferences. Irregular conditions tend to stress the peppers, which cause the striations associated with their heat. Hot and humid places such as the subtropical southeastern US or southern China tend to have “water bomb” rainfall in the summer between dry periods. It’s a perfect recipe to breed hot peppers like the carolina reaper.

  • @miket6700
    @miket6700 Рік тому +59

    One reason for some hot locales not favouring spicy food is the type of food they eat. Seafood usually has very delicate flavours, and chilis can easily overpower its flavour. You see this around the coastal areas in China. Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai foods are not spicy.
    Unless its a bottom feeding river fish, then you probably want the chilis to mask the mud flavour.

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому +8

      Ahh. That's a very interesting point. Thinking about that I do recall that more 'pungent' fish tend to have chili

    • @AdrianArgu
      @AdrianArgu Рік тому +9

      Could also explain why Japan and the Philippines aren't known for spicy food. The Philippines had direct trade with Mexico for a couple of hundred years. We still use a lot of ingredients of Mexican origin, but overall especially when compared to neighboring countries, food in the Philippines isn't spicy.
      Edit: just saw the other videos in the channel about the Galleon trade.

    • @thastayapongsak4422
      @thastayapongsak4422 Рік тому +12

      The south of Thailand has incredible fresh seafood, but the food there is famously spicy, and seafood all over Thailand is eaten with a spicy sauce.

    • @Fergus316
      @Fergus316 Рік тому +3

      Koreans have always eaten a lot of seafood yet embraced the chili pepper.

    • @charleyu5506
      @charleyu5506 Рік тому +3

      @@thastayapongsak4422 yeah this guy is talking out of his bunghole, mexico and peru also have varying level of spicy seafood dishes. And also chili peppers don't have to be overwhelming it just depends on how you are using them.

  • @digitalrefugee69
    @digitalrefugee69 Рік тому +21

    Fun Fact: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, collectively known as The Telugu People, are known for having the spiciest cuisines in the Indian Subcontinent. The Guntur Mirchi Yard, in Andhra Pradesh, is the largest dried chilli market in all of Asia. Chilli powder is very integral to Telugu cuisine. It is so intrinsic that sometimes people eat hot white rice with just chilli powder and hot ghee, which is considered a comfort food. This practice has working-class roots in the 19th and 20th centuries, as blue-collar workers used to pack their lunch boxes with white rice and chilli powder during difficult economic times.
    During Summer Vacation, nuclear families living in the cities will return to their villages, to their grandparents' homes. Every summer, Grandma will prepare a huge batch of Raw and Sour Mango pickle that will last an entire year. As you may have already guessed by now, Indian pickles have a lot of chilli powder, oils, and other spices. On a large tray, raw and sour mangoes, which have been sun-dried for the past few days, will be added. To that, a large amount of chilli powder, salts, oils, seeds, and other spices will be added and mixed well. All of it will be transferred to huge 10-litre Ceramic pickle jars. And now, Grandma will gather all the grandchildren around her. She will then add hot rice to the tray in which there is a residue of chilli powder and spices left. She will pour hot ghee into the rice and mix it well with her hand. She will then lovingly feed all the grandchildren. To the grandchildren, it is a contest. To see who can handle the spice better without drinking water. And sometimes, the grandchildren will demand more. So Grandma will take a spoonful of pickle spice from the jar and prepare another serving with hot rice and ghee.
    The delicacy (dare I call it) has also been romanticized in popular culture and movies. There are love stories where the class divide between the lovers is bridged with the humble "Karam Annam," meaning Chilli-rice. In one film, a rich businesswoman restricts her father and her daughter from eating mango pickle, saying it's the food of a poor man. So the grandfather and the granddaughter plan to secretly eat the pickle rice elsewhere. In search of the pickle rice, they go to a stranger's house. Initially confused, the strangers understand their situation and feed them the pickle rice and even offer to feed them anytime. The daughter, in the process, falls in love with the young man in the strangers' house. There is even a movie titled 'Mirchi' translating to Chilli with a title track that describes the protagonist as a hot and spicy chilli.
    The Chillies traveled from the Americas to India, have etched deep into the culture so much so that many Indians do not know that Pepper is native to India but their beloved Chilli is not. The humble chilli has so many stories to tell, some personal and some romanticized.

    • @qounqer
      @qounqer Рік тому +4

      The equivalent of that in my area was the head cheese sandwich but yours sounds much tastier!

    • @6ftofmisery636
      @6ftofmisery636 Рік тому +4

      are you referring to 'goddu karam' ?

    • @richiehoyt8487
      @richiehoyt8487 Рік тому

      ​@@qounqer I assume you mean something like brawn? I initially thought you meant something that a dissolute rock star might give a naïve groupie as a 'joke'... Shows where my head is at, I guess! The fact that a sandwich containing brawn/head cheese sounds only _marginally_ worse, I think also says something!

    • @bpmalanadu7136
      @bpmalanadu7136 Рік тому

      Ancient Indians were very intelligent and thoughtful, even though they had contacts with many other cultures in the world, they never brought and cultivated anything that has a negative effect on the health but later the era of those greats came to an end and things changed. Potatoes, tomatoes, chilli and many more foreign foods are not good for health but all native Indian foods are nourishing and good for health.

    • @chronikhiles
      @chronikhiles Рік тому

      Bro really described his individual experiences as though it were a universal discount essay.

  • @gbunag3
    @gbunag3 Рік тому +10

    I am pretty sure that some chilis made their way to Asia from the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade.

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      This does seem to be the case. The Portuguese traded in Manila with the Spanish, so it's probably likely that the Spanish introduced it to Asia first and the Portuguese traders in Manila transshipped it to Macau and Japan. The Spanish also sent missionaries and conquistadors to Indonesia, Cambodia, and Siam in the sixteenth century, but the documents from those expeditions aren't as extensive as the Portuguese.

  • @manoi8
    @manoi8 Рік тому +19

    Liking spicy food is an interesting topic for me
    see, I'm from Indonesia where spicy food is common and even spicy challenge is common too. My father is from Menado and my mother is from Medan. 2 of which are famous for having the spiciest cuisine in Indonesia. It's so hellish that as a child I couldn't handle spicy food, even a pepper put me on the edge
    Growing up most of the food felt gatekeeped by the spice. sometimes they need to make a special unspicy version for me. I remember there was one family event where all the food was spicy except the plain rice, so ofc I was forced to eat them
    well, the thing is the food tasted really good, and you need to train and force it to actually enjoy it. so now I'm pretty good at handling spicy food, albeit my body seems more easily sweat than my friends
    now I think you can enjoy some food without the spice or even with less spicy levels. but some other need to be spicy or very spicy even, to be fully enjoyed

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      Thanks for sharing! I find that it is always best to build up the spiceness, starting with less spice to very spicy. However, it tends to take a long time to train yourself to enjoy it.

    • @bog4240
      @bog4240 Рік тому

      ​@@storiesinhistoryThe way I tried to train myself was by eating a single chili pepper on its own. The one I had was bird's eye chilli, which can reach habanero levels of spice. I just ate 1 everyday and after around a month or so everything suddenly wasn't so bad anymore. The key difference is when I trained myself I ground the chili on my molars and slathered it on my tongue, and trust me it makes the pain tenfold worse. Once you've been through hell everything else is child's play

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      @@bog4240 that's some dedication. I winced just thinking about it. My gf loves spicy food, so I've slowly grown more accustomed.

    • @bog4240
      @bog4240 Рік тому +1

      @@storiesinhistory Well, it's both a curse and blessing being born in Indonesia where food is amazing but the heat keeps you from enjoying it. I've travelled to many countries to enjoy their cuisines and though I agree every nation has its own culinary wonders, I firmly believe Indonesia has one of the best (I may be biased). Woke up one day and decided that I'm not gonna let a stupid plant hold me back from enjoying the best dishes in the world. Remember the magic words before eating spicy food, momma didn't raise me to lose to a glorified spicy shrub 😂😂

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      🤣@@bog4240 love that attitude!

  • @iamleoooo
    @iamleoooo Рік тому +4

    This is a fascinating topic to discuss, i too like spicy food but can not handle something very hot. Thank you for making this video

  • @hitmusicworldwide
    @hitmusicworldwide Рік тому +28

    You might want to take note that the Punjab is in the north west of India as opposed to the southern Indian regions you pointed out that do use chili peppers . The Vietnamese originally came down from what is today Southern China. They were living in an area that is known for food that is not spicy in current day China. They migrated down along the coast, giving Vietnam the shape that it has today. Perhaps it could be that tastes were well established certain regions and more resistant, like say in the Malay Indonesian world with the plethora of spices they had available to them alteady so they included chili's as an addition rather than being the basis of a lot of the flavours that they employ. Korea's Che Ju Island has a warm climate. Citrus is even grown there so I can see why chili's would take root and be able to grow in Korea whereas similar people's in that part of the world tend to eat food that is much more bland. So it could be a combination of already established pallets and local's acceptance of what was a novel or additional spice as well as the geographic growing zones that people's tastes, traditions and cuisines have been established in.

    • @debodatta7398
      @debodatta7398 Рік тому +1

      >You might want to take note that the Punjab is in the north west of India as opposed to the southern Indian regions you pointed out that do use chili peppers .
      This really doesn't mean anything Punjab is in Northwest but uses a lack of chili peppers compared to southern Indian regions, even in North India Punjabi food is known for being mild and bland due to excessive use of yogurt. Chili pepper usage in North India Punjab would be below average, Rajasthani's use a lot hotter foods same with Bengalis both however still are not that high usage compared to South India and 7 Sisters regions.

  • @prospero021
    @prospero021 Рік тому +3

    I remember reading a Thai manuscript or chronicle saying that spicy peppers are a sort of "challenge food" among the upper class and would often hold competitions to see who could best handle the spice.

  • @oranpf
    @oranpf Рік тому +3

    It's not just about the heat. Different peppers and different curing techniques bring a lot of different flavors. If you can take the heat, habaneros have a sweet floral note. Urfa and Aleppo pepper have a kind of umami/raison quality. My favorite is dried pequin, with an almost nutty, buttery flavor.

    • @tefiiii143
      @tefiiii143 Рік тому

      Where can I get pequin peppers

  • @banksy2870
    @banksy2870 Рік тому +7

    Interesting thing is that for most Indians the max heat-level they would be comfortable with is "Thai chili" but, we use a lot of other spices in our cuisine which do not contribute to the heat of a dish. Actually, Punjabi, Mughlai, Rajasthani cuisine use many more typess spices in a single dish as compared to Andhra cuisine but the heat level of Andhra cuisine is much higher.

    • @debodatta7398
      @debodatta7398 Рік тому +1

      > Actually, Punjabi, Mughlai, Rajasthani cuisine use many more typess spices in a single dish as compared to Andhra cuisine but the heat level of Andhra cuisine is much higher.
      LOL absolute north Indian bullshit, Punjabis, Mughlai and Rajasthani areas don't even grow as much spices as Andhra does Punjab focuse4s on Basmati Rice, Rajasthan is desert and Mughlai is so iranian/turkic influenced who are areas that use spice and it def has more then normal North Indian fare but nowhere near as much as basic Andhra cusine uses. Just go to any Punjabi spice store and look where the spices are manufactured It's 90% of the time either from SOUTH INDIA or West Bengal, 9% of the time from Madhya Pradesh. Punjabi cuisine in Rest of India is seen as bland and mild due to extensive use of yogurt in everything. Rajasthani is more flavorful but still not close to Andhra states One reason why is North Indians think this is because they only use Garam Masala as a spice mix and add the rest of the spices normally, while Andhra and in South India they're multiple different spice mixes, and different varieties of them based on if they've been steamed, roasted or fried and they also add whole spices in which North does not prefer due to foreign invader influence due to being conquered by muslim dynasties and they perfer not to add whole spices in their cooking instead opting for powders. And lets not even get started on herbs and other aromatics used because again Andhra and South India as a whole dominate.

  • @SpodgeDanish
    @SpodgeDanish Рік тому +2

    I’m so glad you still make content

  • @Solaris_Paradox
    @Solaris_Paradox Рік тому +17

    Corn, beans, squash, chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla and cacao originated in the Americas.
    Russia wouldn't have vodka; Italians wouldn't have tomatoes and the East wouldn't have chilies for spicy curry.

  • @JesusRocksTryPrayin
    @JesusRocksTryPrayin Рік тому +1

    Great video!
    I had no idea, how.. 'recent' spicy was worldwide. I imagined it being everywhere forever.. I mean, capcacin.. Like, percussive spice or, wasabi/mustard sure. I thought Asia was rocking it forever. Glad I came upon this channel! Great content!

  • @wwm9000
    @wwm9000 Рік тому +1

    What a fascinating and seemingly overlooked topic and great video. Thanks -- subscribed!

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed! I will keep that noted, thanks for the advice

  • @Pike737
    @Pike737 Рік тому +3

    There are several Hindu rituals were food is prepared without using any of the new world vegetables and spices. Very interesting to know about.

  • @gustavomendoza6187
    @gustavomendoza6187 Рік тому +7

    In Mexico chili not is a spice, is our food.

    • @CharlieKeiser
      @CharlieKeiser 7 місяців тому +1

      And the world stole it.

    • @gustavomendoza6187
      @gustavomendoza6187 7 місяців тому +2

      @@CharlieKeiser Mexicans give chili to the world! 🥵

    • @CharlieKeiser
      @CharlieKeiser 7 місяців тому +2

      @@gustavomendoza6187 the world grows it now. No Mexico needed. And the native Americans didn't give Columbus and the conquistadors chilies. They took them.

  • @carmonobre802
    @carmonobre802 Рік тому

    This type of video is really good, thanks for all this information

  • @ac1455
    @ac1455 Рік тому +2

    I love chilis, and also number 3 on my reasons why time travel would suck.

  • @queenmab7592
    @queenmab7592 Рік тому

    Great post!

  • @RandomUserX99
    @RandomUserX99 Рік тому +1

    It is entirely cultural. Koreans actually didn't eat much spicy food until the 1950's when a varietal of chili was found that could grow easier in Korea, and then the military dictator at the time decide to push the spice to the general population, and quickly almost all Korean food became reddish. So the red kimchee we saw today became popular less than 100 years ago. It's close neighbor Japan never adopted chili the same way and even now can't handle heat Koreans enjoys daily. NE China which is right next to Korea, never develop any sort of spicy dish as well.

  • @Ahuizotl_Yolotl
    @Ahuizotl_Yolotl 4 місяці тому

    9:40
    That's a clear example of how different those countries are. In Mexico, India, etc. the "hot pepers" are for flavor and because we enjoy them. In the US and UK it's a challege.

  • @franklopez2969
    @franklopez2969 Рік тому +3

    I always tell this fact to Korean and Thai people, but they never believe me!

  • @hkcb250rider9
    @hkcb250rider9 Рік тому +14

    Here in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 people can’t stand any spice at all. If the food has the slightest hint of a chili they will warn you how spicy it is and people will act like it’s super spicy 🌶️ even if you can’t even taste any spice

    • @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367
      @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 Рік тому

      Hahah yeah its true

    • @WeiYinChan
      @WeiYinChan Рік тому

      That’s super dependant on the person lol I grew up in Hong Kong and was addicted to spicy food since young

  • @keboonplumeria5266
    @keboonplumeria5266 Рік тому

    Interesting way of storytelling ✍️👍 I simply love it

  • @honey8784
    @honey8784 11 місяців тому

    Great presentation. Try and add a segment on Hatch County NM. There is a cult following of the Anaheim chilies.

  • @ladyofthemasque
    @ladyofthemasque 9 місяців тому

    I wasn't really raised in a household that used lots of peppery foods, and was shocked as a middle-schooler when I had dinner at a friend's house, only to find they had put dried chili flakes into their mashed potatoes. That experience taught me at a young age that different people eat different things based on where they grew up, what cultures they were exposed to, and what foods were most commonly available to them. (I grew up near Seattle, Washington, while they grew up near Modesto, California; I was therefore exposed to a lot more Asian cuisine locally, while they were exposed to a lot more Mexican when they lived down there, based purely on regional immigration patterns.)
    Unfortunately, just as I was starting to enjoy hot and spicy foods in my college years, however...I had to have my gallbladder removed, and that severely reduced how much capsaicin my body could tolerate. Which sucked. And still sucks, despite it being decades later. But I have discovered a mild chili pepper that I enjoy, which is the poblano. Not too much heat to trigger acid reflux, but also quite a lot of actual flavor besides the heat.

  • @titosapien5074
    @titosapien5074 4 місяці тому +1

    I love spicy 😋 🌶🥵🔥 Habanero, arbol, Japanese , serrano, jalapeño, cayenne, and pretty all spicy peppers.

  • @lancesay
    @lancesay Рік тому

    great research...

  • @user-zx8de8op9l
    @user-zx8de8op9l 4 місяці тому

    Well done

  • @billyyank5807
    @billyyank5807 Рік тому +2

    I could probably handle scotch bonnet or habanero. I honestly don't mind lighting my mouth,face and lips on fire! The more i sweat,the better! I like it. It adds excitement to what you are eating!

  • @holeeshi9959
    @holeeshi9959 Рік тому +15

    chili pepper is a good way to preserve food(the capciasin prevent bacteria growth, also mask up stale taste) when there is an absence of salt, so a lot of coastal regions even in hot climates don't eat chili peppers much(case and point, GuangDong/Canton region of China and Hong Kong, which are located in the hottest part of China, but don't use chili), since they have all the salt they need. I know Imperial Chinese government holds a monopoly on salt trade, and they made sure it is pricey through high taxes, but other governments likely does have a hefty tax on salt too. with pepper, citizens can reduce their salt buying to just "cooking salt" and forgo buying "meat curing salt". the exception, of course, is Korea, which has very spicy food but is also very coastal.

    • @baha3alshamari152
      @baha3alshamari152 Рік тому +4

      Capsaicin doesn't preserve food or prevent bacteria growth however it's very efficient at deterring rodents like rats

    • @RandomUserX99
      @RandomUserX99 Рік тому

      Korean didn't really eat chili until the 1950's, when a varietal was introduced to grow better in Korea. The govt then heavily pushed the use of the spice to general public, resulting in the heavy usage of pepper in modern Korean dishes. The popularity is not the result of organic adoption.

  • @picks6500
    @picks6500 Рік тому +2

    I have heard of theories regarding why chili peppers and other spicy food are adopted into culture, that being for health reasons that protected them from food poisoning and other forms of foodborne infections. I am not very knowledgeable about it but I have seen posts in strong support of it against the idea that spice use is more related to socioeconomic factors.

  • @milowe100
    @milowe100 4 місяці тому

    very good

  • @godsmacked1000
    @godsmacked1000 5 місяців тому

    Serrano peppers are my favorite. The heat only lasts five minutes 😅

  • @Gaitanvive
    @Gaitanvive Рік тому +3

    The Americas saved the world from starvation. Holy soil North, Central and South.

  • @michaelhenault1444
    @michaelhenault1444 Рік тому

    The range in spice line herbs and foods in general is governed by individual tastes + the willingness to expand one's taste development.
    Some people just aren't adventurous, still tastes can adapt, and even then there are limits to a capacity to develop new tastes.
    Children don't usually like mushrooms originally and then even those folks who think cilantro tastes like soap have been known to change their minds. The latter don't take up soap eating.
    Then again as human digestion capabilities ware down with age and thus range of consumption. Appetites of all sorts have shifted. 😜

  • @carlvincent12
    @carlvincent12 Рік тому +1

    Some dude many years ago: “damn this hurts…in a good way”

  • @quite_fair
    @quite_fair 11 місяців тому

    MELAKA/MALACCA MENTIONED (sorry it's so rare to see a well produced historical video here that mentions Melaka, considering how important of a port it was historically. as a melakan, i am very pleased by this!)

  • @yiennwee4496
    @yiennwee4496 8 місяців тому +1

    as a chinese also an asian,chili is the best food that human discovered. The person who discovered chili deserves a memorial 🗿🗿

    • @CharlieKeiser
      @CharlieKeiser 7 місяців тому +2

      You mean the South American people that were eating it first before everyone else? Yes they do.

  • @paduka23
    @paduka23 Рік тому +1

    Even we indonesian love to eat spicy food in the morning

  • @jamin-r4k
    @jamin-r4k 2 місяці тому

    koreans eat the most chillies per capita. almost every soup, sidedish and maindish has abundant red chilis in it. you eat a whole hot green chili and a whole raw garlic at a barbecue

  • @JestaKilla
    @JestaKilla Рік тому +2

    I'd be very curious to see a study on the correlation between peoples' love or dislike of chilis and their aversion or attraction to danger. In other words: Are adventurous people more inclined to like spicy food?

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      There is an interesting study from the 1980s on the subject and does seem to have a correlation, given the euphoric effects of chili pain.
      link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00995932#page-1

  • @napoleonfeanor
    @napoleonfeanor Рік тому +7

    Paprika is still spicy when you use the right one. You have numerous kinds in Hungary and German lands certainly.
    Good you mentioned that they are easy to groe

    • @edgarburlyman738
      @edgarburlyman738 Рік тому

      Man I bet Germany and Scandinavia eat a surprising amount of spicy food.

  • @smoothbeak
    @smoothbeak Рік тому

    Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now!

  • @pudnbug
    @pudnbug Рік тому

    I eat spicy food sometimes, although I'm not addicted to it. Once when I was in Java I went in a small restaurant and got a 'rice bowl' with meat. It was so spicy that I absolutely could not eat it. But perhaps the chef was playing a joke on me.

  • @lornahuddleston1453
    @lornahuddleston1453 4 місяці тому

    As my mother got older, she couldn't handle the heat of chilis. I'm finding the same thing. I think it could be because as we get old, our skin become much thinner and easier to break.

  • @stonefly69
    @stonefly69 10 місяців тому

    Columbus's effect on the world cuisines was incredible, as he brought new plants from the new world. Amazing person!

    • @Solaris_Paradox
      @Solaris_Paradox 3 місяці тому

      Columbus doesn't know his ass from his mouth.

  • @s0ul216
    @s0ul216 Рік тому

    There are "local" chilis (not from pepper family ofc) from across Asia countries, and chili pepper just replaces the popularity of those local chilis. They are called long pepper, and even some region has a native species for that long pepper. Higher chance that Southern China region also had used long pepper in their foods before chili dominated the region.

  • @sanneoi6323
    @sanneoi6323 Рік тому

    Jjamppong is the perfect dish for me

  • @Guitcad1
    @Guitcad1 Рік тому +5

    The idea that bell peppers were unpopular because they rang too loud.
    Yeah, I find that *_really_* hard to swallow for *_a number_* of reasons.

  • @ZariainYT
    @ZariainYT Рік тому +1

    So in short 🤔
    1. Ancient Chinese aren't supposed to have any spicy food till modern times
    2. Chilis are indeed originated from South America, migrated by Spanish/Portuguese

    • @charleyu5506
      @charleyu5506 Рік тому

      they're from north/central america just like avocados and chocolate

  • @punk_rock_music_teacher
    @punk_rock_music_teacher Місяць тому

    My mom is from Peru. The amount of ingredients shared between Asian and Latino cultures heightens Peruvian cuisine IMO

  • @infoscholar5221
    @infoscholar5221 Рік тому +14

    Spicy food is quite popular throughout the Southern States.Our cuttoff point is usually in the Habanero range, although there are always masochists willing to go hotter. "Ahem." One of my sisters makes Ghost Pepper salsa every summer, and distributes jars of it on holidays to family and freinds less faint of heart.

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      My uncle made a batch of ghost pepper salsa. The family tried it, but nobody finished the jar 😂

    • @throwaway-yj9fk
      @throwaway-yj9fk Рік тому +1

      Southern states?

    • @brunchmuncher51
      @brunchmuncher51 Рік тому

      @@throwaway-yj9fk US

    • @MIKExMASSACREx
      @MIKExMASSACREx Рік тому

      Not just southern states like all of the south of North America tbh from Florida to Southern California most likely because of cultural ties to Mexico

    • @frisco9568
      @frisco9568 Рік тому

      You should thank Mexico for its habanero and large variety of chili peepers

  • @evanh9301
    @evanh9301 Рік тому

    I am orignally from Hunan, China. I miss the local chili peppers from my hometown.

  • @flatlogicinheaven7291
    @flatlogicinheaven7291 Рік тому

    I really like the Carolina reaper chili, or ghost peppers, or habanero ❤

  • @Baguettezzz
    @Baguettezzz Рік тому

    Anyone else notice the pokeballs in the illustration seen minutes 11:35-11:59?

  • @evanh9301
    @evanh9301 Рік тому

    3:54 the english translations should be swapped, the left is ji bong yu seol

  • @Squirrelmind66
    @Squirrelmind66 Рік тому +3

    As the comedian Russel Peters once said, in school I learned that the Portuguese traveled the world over in search of spices. Well, I‘ve tasted your cooking, and… you didn’t find them.

  • @ZWhippie
    @ZWhippie 2 місяці тому

    What was the world's food like before the new world food was introduced like potato's tomatoes and peppers

  • @michaelrae9599
    @michaelrae9599 Рік тому +1

    I would think that the strong flavor may mask the gaminess of bushmeat.

  • @elcidgaming
    @elcidgaming Рік тому

    11:36 this proves that pokemons used to exist. Exhibit A:
    Pokeballs clearly illustrated ;)

  • @alfancahyadi
    @alfancahyadi Рік тому

    So why there is no specific english word to describe chilli pepper taste beside hot and spicy. Hot is connected with fire, spicy come from spices that include not only chilli pepper. We indonesian said "pedas" to express chilli pepper taste.

  • @f8talfury
    @f8talfury 7 місяців тому

    Vindaloo was created in the UK

    • @Akira-dm3tj
      @Akira-dm3tj 5 місяців тому

      No!
      You must be talking about chicken tikka masala
      Vindaloo is a Portugese-indian dish created in the the state of Goa that used to be a Portuguese colony.

  • @CautionCU
    @CautionCU Рік тому +3

    I tend to ask how hot the nuclear wings are and if they ask to sign a release then I get the really really hot wings instead.

  • @gab_gallard
    @gab_gallard Рік тому

    Bolivia mentioned let's go!

  • @angelfu14
    @angelfu14 Рік тому +5

    It's curious how Spain is one of the world's largest chili producers but our food isn't hot at all. You could find some dishes that are hot (and in the Basque country they have piparras, a mildly hot chili) but a great deal of our dishes use our chilies as a way flavour enhancer but not a spicy one.

    • @Agent-ie3uv
      @Agent-ie3uv Рік тому

      Because the climate in spain isn't harsh as in asia.

    • @charleyu5506
      @charleyu5506 Рік тому +2

      It's because you learned to use them from Mexico, the peppers in Mexico are about flavor not just heat.

    • @jonkiyosaki6600
      @jonkiyosaki6600 Рік тому

      It’s the same in Mexico, guajillo chilies are for taste and color not heat

  • @LoebRules
    @LoebRules Рік тому

    China exports a huge portion of their chili's. Only a couple of regions eat spicy in China.

  • @varun009
    @varun009 Рік тому +5

    We Indians can be pretty flexible with our cuisine. There's a new world pride in "tradition" but Indian cuisine is pretty atraditi0nal. When I first learned that chillies originated in south America, I was shocked. Then I learned the same about potatoes. These two things are such a large part of our diet. Poverty informs life and you can see it in the food the poor eat. Not even most Indians are vegetarian by choice. Meat is expensive. Similarly the poor cannot afford spices so chilly is the default flavor profile of most home style Indian cooking in India. Most Indians don't get to eat the Indian food westerners do.

    • @wngmv
      @wngmv Рік тому +2

      I (Chinese) told my Indians friends, and they had the same reaction. What we consider "traditional" have only been in our respective cultures in a short period of time. That is sombering thoughts for any nationalists because nobody is truly unique in this world.
      Thanks Mexican for various peppers, corn and potatoes.

    • @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367
      @manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 Рік тому

      ​@@wngmvyeah its very true, people forget just how much food has changed in the last 450 years because of europeanntrade, converselty medieval english food of wealthy people was more like modern chinese sweet and sour spicefilled tastes. Which seems so strange to think that english food in 1300 would be like that atleast for the rich

    • @brunchmuncher51
      @brunchmuncher51 Рік тому

      @@wngmv there's no reason to thank any south american or mexican for having peppers or other foods lol. They don't own them nor have they helped others learn how to use these ingredients. With or without, these items would be there anyways.

    • @jr3753
      @jr3753 Рік тому +2

      @@brunchmuncher51your welcome from a Mexican 😂🌶️🪇🌮🪅🇲🇽

  • @lukewormholes5388
    @lukewormholes5388 Рік тому +2

    Central Mexico does not have a hot climate due to altitude

  • @christopherberry8519
    @christopherberry8519 Рік тому +3

    Try as you might to get a bell pepper to sound like a bell with whatever you like, you'll never get it to any level of annoyance. Carrilon, I think is simply an April Fool's joke and while a fun "fact" it doesn't make it to being "historical".
    Personally, I'm very interested in how the Chilli displaced Sichuan peppers and essentially was a European attempt whether deliberate or not, to push down the purchase price of spices.
    I believe safeguarding national production and local growers was the reason the chilli was assigned "decorative duties" and became the food of the poor. With the rise of Communism, the Chilli becomes a socialist staple and now China out-produces the planet!
    Food is often about classes, the rich v the poor, religion, occupation and liberation.
    In Crete, a place which could easily be the spiciest of the Med, because of Ottoman occupation and liberation, forced population exchange, Rich v poor, spice and hot food is very rare whereas in Cyprus heat and spice remain common.

  • @j.h.5765
    @j.h.5765 5 місяців тому

    The narrators voice reminds me of the boring teacher from Ferris Bullers day off movie

  • @jocazjoejo
    @jocazjoejo Рік тому

    I come from Guachichil roots, it’s literally in the name of our tribe.

  • @hansolowe19
    @hansolowe19 Рік тому

    I thought paprika and bell pepper were the same?

  • @richiehoyt8487
    @richiehoyt8487 Рік тому

    Interesting that the first image you show of the historical use of chillis, depicts their use to torture people by holding them over clouds of smouldering chilli smoke (no trivial thing, as I can attest, having once made the mistake of throwing a handful of dried chillies into a 'red hot' frying pan that didn't have sufficient oil... I had to literally crawl to the door, coughing, choking and streaming tears, like someone who'd been 'crowd controlled' by French riot police!) When you realise that this punishment wasn't used for prisoners of war, or criminals, but rather for _errant children(!)_ it doesn't come as a _huge_ surprise to learn that the former categories could expect to be skinned alive, or to have their heart cut out alive and shoved before their dying eyes! (That'll 'larn' em..!)
    One has to wonder whether these people, if they'd eaten a diet that was a little _gentler_ on their stomachs, might they have been a little less uptight, had less tense relations with their neighbours, and had children who could perhaps have grown up a little better adjusted!

  • @mercster
    @mercster Рік тому

    I love hot foods (habanero pepper is my favorite)... but I've seen what can happen when you go overboard. The other day I ate a ghost pepper... my body expelled moisture, alright.

    • @mercster
      @mercster Рік тому

      Hmm, your estimate of thai chilis (100k-225k) is quite a bit higher than most sources. 😏 Just sayin'! Thanks for the video.

    • @storiesinhistory
      @storiesinhistory  Рік тому

      Same. I tried ghost pepper once. Seriously painful

  • @voixdelaraison593
    @voixdelaraison593 20 днів тому +1

    You show captives being tortured over Chili Fires but you never address the issue.

  • @luanasari5161
    @luanasari5161 Рік тому +1

    im indonesian and i just ate chili

  • @kinngrimm
    @kinngrimm Рік тому

    Besides that i like em a lot, my chronicle issues alow me to blow my nose once in a while and breath freely again when eating hot spicy foods. Does it make me sweat like a pig at the same time, sure does but that is a small price to pay =)

  • @carkawalakhatulistiwa
    @carkawalakhatulistiwa Рік тому

    @storiesinhistory is just like MSG. some groups have higher tastes than others😁

  • @pqlasmdhryeiw8
    @pqlasmdhryeiw8 Рік тому

    I'm always amazed how spicy chilis can get. But I don't know how people cope with the heat when the digested matter leaves the day after. Spicy stools are debilitating! Just me?

  • @robro8057
    @robro8057 Рік тому +1

    Nice video. Always wondered. Why do Americans say POON JAB when they can easily say PUN as in a pun. Just say PUN JAAB

  • @xenon6947
    @xenon6947 25 днів тому

    Every village has kitchen garden and people didnt need to preserve food like cold climate snow countries.

  • @dilipsharma3878
    @dilipsharma3878 8 місяців тому

    In India,chilli is just a vegetable not a spice

  • @burizaemon9305
    @burizaemon9305 Рік тому +3

    People in ancient Java and most part of Indonesia arhipelago use Java Pepper before Chilies came...

    • @burizaemon9305
      @burizaemon9305 Рік тому

      *Used

    • @markv1974
      @markv1974 Рік тому

      What is weird is in the philippines we retianed use of the black pepper (java or other versions) but not chillies. And we were the ones conquered by spain. A philippine satti versus an indonesian sattay and the indonesian one is spicy😅

  • @shane1948
    @shane1948 Рік тому +2

    In Thai, the word for pepper literally translates to "Thai chili".

  • @sergiossh852
    @sergiossh852 Рік тому +8

    No entiendo por que no diste a México y a otras partes de América como Perú, la importancia real que tiene el chile (aji) en nuestra historia y comida. Ni siquiera hablas del origen de la palabra "chile" y das menor importancia a España que a Portugal siendo que la palabra chile se origina en México y este país fue colonia española, por la que lógicamente el primer conocimiento que tuvieron los europeos sobre el fruto del chile fue en México y seria el comercio español el que difundió el producto a nivel mundial, por eso se le llama "chile" en el mundo, como al chocolate y al tomate.

  • @pedritodio1406
    @pedritodio1406 Рік тому

    I don't know but a channel named OTR is stealing video concepts and research materials. Name kinda similar with OBR who is doing the samething