When you think of the American southwest, you instantly think of chili peppers: chili rellenos and huevos rancheros, yum! But archaeologists have long been aware that the people of the American southwest didn't use chili peppers in their recipes until after the Spanish colonization in the 16th century AD.
Santa Fe Chili Peppers. Photo by Mr T in DC
Now, chili peppers are an American domesticate: they were domesticated in both south and central America some 6000 years ago. And other American domesticated crops--corn, beans, squash and cotton, for example--became important parts of Southwestern Pueblo life long before the Spanish came. But not chili peppers.
Read what researchers Paul Minnis and Michael Whalen believe convinced the people of southwestern United States and northern Mexico to add chili peppers to their cuisines, an essential part of the Story of Chili Peppers...
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