Hot Chili Pepper

[Marco Bleeker]

  Are the red peppers (Chili pepper, Spanish pepper, Capsicum) really coming
from South America originally ?  I wonder, because they seem so deeply
integrated in oriental culture, like way into continental China it is a major
crop for the local farmers, they decorate their houses with the colorfull
strings. Also in Indonesia (sambal) and the Arabian world (harissa). Was this a
cultural change brought about by 17th century colonial sea-fearers, or, what
seems to be more logic, did the Chinese discover it much earlier ?

  Any advise on books on this subject ?  Tobaco is another interesting subject
here. Not invented in the Arabian world ?

Thanks, bye, Marco
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<mbleeker at euronet.nl>------------------<Marco Bleeker, Amsterdam, NL>
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