[CH] Chile origins
Peter Moss (pmoss@yoda.alt.za)
Mon, 26 Mar 2001 20:46:11 RSA-2
> Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 14:20:13 GMT
> From: mstevens@exit109.com
>> There's another school of thought which has those babies
>> making their way to Asia from South America long before .
>> Columbus, a la Kon- Tiki,
> The main reason I find this scenario suspect is that Europe
> was trading spices with the far East for centuries prior to
> Columbus' voyage, and if chiles had made it to Asia, they
> would have been traded along with peppercorns, cloves,
> cinnamon and such.
How long has it taken for chiles to become popular in Europe?
Pepper (Niger) is still more popular than chile.
It is also just as possible nobody liked the things or found
a ready sale for such products in comparison to the demand for
other spices. The spice traders would and did protect their
own products which they could control.
There were most certainly others who reached the Americas before
Columbus who would have come it contact with chiles. There are
also those who left for other places. People leaving would have
taken seed of what they used daily for food or the preparation
of food.
There is much we don't know and keeping an open enquiring mind
may one day solve this mystery. There are many possibilities
and so little evidence ;-)
If it helps consider this post
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http://sammcgees.com/chili/brd/brd.html
Posted by john lunz on June 18, 1998 at 10:18:39:
In Reply to: Re: In search of the periperi/piripiri/pilipili
posted by Nigel Wood on December 29, 1997 at 14:11:16:
I've been reading of the travels of Ibn Battuta in Africa in the
1330s, which clearly predates Columbus's voyages. In the books
I've read is described a meal which included the following:
..."They cook banana before it is ripe in fresh milk and they
put it on a dish, and they put sour milk in a dish with pickled
lemon on it and bunches of pickled chillies, vineagared and
salted, and green ginger and mangoes."
The footnote reference states that: "The word translated
'chillies' is 'fulfil', compare Kiswahli 'pilipili'.
Common belief is that 'chilis' were introduced to europe and
asia from south america following the opening of the 'new'
world. This reference to 'chillies' has me wondering about the
accuracy of this belief.
john lunz
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Filfil or fulfil is the arabic word for chile.
The date of 1330 predates Columbus and adds to the mystery of
chiles travels. If chiles were in Africa in 1330 how did they
get there?
Peter
--
Peter Moss
After one hundred and fifty years and many thousands of firearms
control laws to reduce crime the list of successes should be
long and illustrious. Where is the list?