Tina Brooks wrote: > I have been looking for significant proof that > chillies might have developed independently on the > Asian continent, but all of the science I have seen to > date says no. > > That doesn't mean it didn't happen. It just means that > I personally have seen no proof. > > T > I believe the accepted theory is that the Portugese took the chili pepper to Goa and thence to eventually Szechuan Province, where they began a complete new cuisine with chilies and of course the famous Szechuan peppercorn, indispensable in such dishes as Ma Po Tofu, one of my personal all time faves! It all is speculation, however, and still must be proven historically... Doug in BC