What is believed to be the oldest domesticated vegetable? If you guessed peppers, you would be right! It is believed that peppers were grown in Peru and Mexico over 6000 years ago! Chili pepper seeds from that era have been found, as well as pepper residue on cooking utensils. Apparently the ancient Peruvians struggled to wash dishes effectively!
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| Ancient Peruvian pot, possibly inundated with pepper residue |
Columbus brought peppers back to Europe in 1493. I could just imagine him handing his kids "something sweet" and then watching them sweat as they chowed down on a juicy jalapeno. Up until then Europeans only knew of the white and black peppers that we still use at our tables today.
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| Ebony and ivory peppercorns, together in perfect harmony |
Brightly colored peppers can make any garden look more beautiful. Well, maybe not a beer garden. The average vegetable garden will look more appealing with a variety of peppers. That is where the old saying came from...you can judge a garden by its peppers.
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| A lovely pepper garden can keep you from the hassle of putting up Christmas lights |
Peppers can be sweet or spicy. A popular sweet pepper is the bell pepper. The spiciest, or hottest, known pepper is the Carolina Reaper. It has been measured at up to 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units. Feel like tasting one...try a chip for a mere $73.88! This chip is so dangerous that it comes in a coffin...and you need to be prepared to do a little coughin' if you try one!
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| This guy is hot... |
There you have it...if you, like the ancient Peruvians, are looking to spice things up, then kindly consider a pepper. But before you pop a Carolina Reaper...you might want to watch this informational video.
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