When was the chili pepper introduced to China?

The chili pepper is a very pungent food, also known as lazi, lajiao, niujiaojiao, and so on. It is an annual or weakly perennial plant of the genus Capsicum in the nightshade family. Because it has functions such as sterilization, preservation, seasoning, nutrition, and dispelling cold, it has played a positive role in helping humans prevent and treat disease, improve genes, and promote human evolution. Now let us take a look at when chili peppers entered China!

When did chili peppers enter China?

The chili pepper is one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans, and it was already growing on the continents around 7000 BC. Archaeologists estimate that in 5000 BC, the Maya began eating chili peppers. In 1492, Columbus's voyage not only discovered the New World but also brought back chili peppers. But for China, chili peppers did not enter the country until the late Ming Dynasty. After arriving in China, chili peppers first entered Hangzhou, Zhejiang and its surrounding areas, and then gradually spread throughout the country.

Where are chili peppers native to?

The world's major chili-producing countries include India, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Spain. In our country, chili-producing areas are mainly distributed in Henan, **, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Hebei, Yunnan, and other places. In the history of Chinese chili peppers, there were four major production areas, commonly known as "one Ze and three Dus." "One Ze" is Jize County in Hebei Province, and the "three Dus" are Chengdu in Sichuan Province, Yidu in Shandong Province (now renamed Qingzhou), and Wangdu in Hebei Province. Among them, Chengdu peppers are mainly the high-pungency "chaotianjiao," Yidu peppers are mainly the low-pungency "Yidu red," and Jize peppers are the medium-pungency "yangjiaojiao."

What varieties of chili peppers are there?

1. Bell pepper: The bell pepper plant is stout and tall, with oblong or ovate leaves, upright or drooping fruit stalks, and nearly spherical, cylindrical, or oblate fruits. It is not spicy in taste and is slightly sweet or has a slight pepper flavor. It is cultivated in both northern and southern China, and the sweet peppers usually sold on the market are this variety.

2. Chaotianjiao: The chaotianjiao plant is mostly dichotomously branched, with ovate leaves. The flowers are usually solitary in the forks, white or with purple, and the fruit stalks and fruits are both upright. The fruit is conical and extremely spicy in taste. It is cultivated in both northern and southern China and is often grown by people as a bonsai.

3. Cluster pepper: The cluster pepper plant can reach 1 m in height, with ovate-lanceolate leaves. The flowers are usually solitary on the lower part of the branches, the fruit stalks are stout, and the berries are finger-like or conical and slightly curved, with a very spicy taste. It is cultivated in both northern and southern China, usually as a bonsai, or a small amount is grown as a vegetable or seasoning.