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 Chilies:
Native to the Americas, chilies play an important role in cuisines in areas around the world, including Africa, China, India, Mexico, South America, Spain, and Thailand. There are over 200 varieties of chilies, 100 of which are indigenous to Mexico and the can range from very mild to intensely spicy; colors: greens, yellows, oranges, and reds There is some support by scholars to the theory that Columbus on the Pinta, which made landfall at Bayona, Spain, in March 1, 1493. There is no solid proof of this, but it is known from Columbus's letters to Ferdinand and Isabella that he wrote stating the West Indian islanders endured the cold of winter in their mountains "with the aid of the meat they eat with very hot spices." Written accounts of the chili appeared after Columbus's second voyage, and taking into consideration that the purpose of these later voyages was to find and bring back exotic spices to Europe, it is obvious why the chili (named pepper by the European's) quickly spread throughout the trade routes of the Spanish and Portuguese. The Portuguese introduced the chili to India and China through their colonies at Goa and Macao which was quickly absorbed in to their cuisine, making possible the hot Indian and Sichuan food that we are familiar with today.
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