Chile Pepper History

Most cultivated peppers – mild bells to hot jalapeños – are the fruits from different varieties of one plant species, Capsicum annuum. Closely related are Capsicum frutescens, from which Tabasco sauce is made, and C. chinense, the source of the scorchingly hot habanero or Scotch bonnet chile. Two other South American domesticated species are seldom seen in this country. In all, there are some 27 species of Capsicum, about half of which have been used by humans. All Capsicum species are members of the nightshade family, as are tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant.

Chile peppers are completely unrelated to black pepper, the small dried fruits of a vine called Piper nigrum that is native to the Asian tropics. Using the term ‘pepper’ for these pungent, fleshy fruits has been a source of confusion for over 500 years. They might more properly be called chiles, from the Aztec name for the pungent varieties, or capsicum, as the British refer to the mild forms.