EARLY WORLDWIDE DISPERSAL OF CHILE PEPPERS Most peppers dry well and their seeds remain viable for a long time, allowing long distance transport. Because they thrive in both temperate and tropical climates, they readily became established as they were introduced around the globe. New varieties specific to different regions developed and chile peppers became the primary hot spice worldwide.

ARCTIC OCEAN

ASIA NORTH 1548 EUROPE 5 Via the Silk Road NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN or India to China 8 1598 AMERICA pre-1542 1493 American sing 1543 ros 3 Onward NORTH Southwest ntic C NORTH PACIFIC nsatla from Spain PACIFIC OCEAN 2 Tra 1542 OCEAN 1526 1565 65 7 To Eastern and 1520s 15 Central Europe mid-1500s exico een M nes 1530s etw ilippi AFRICA 4 Portuguese 6 B e Ph SOUTH th Merchants and AMERICA 4 Portuguese Merchants INDIAN 1500s OCEAN 1 ORIGIN OCEANIA

SOUTH SOUTH ATLANTIC PACIFIC OCEAN 0 2,000 mi OCEAN 15 30s 0 2,000 km

ANTARCTICA

1 Origin of Wild Peppers 4 Portuguese Merchants 6 Between Mexico and the Philippines 8 American Southwest Wild chile peppers evolved in Bolivia and Within 50 years of the chile pepper’s arrival in Spain, Chile peppers reached the Philippines when the Spanish Although Toltec Indians of Mexico Southern Brazil. Portuguese maritime merchants spread them to established a colony there in 1565. With travel back and traded with Pueblo Indians of coastal regions of Africa, India and much of Asia. forth between the Philippines and their other colony in 2 Transatlantic Crossing the American Southwest, there They introduced them directly from Portugal, as well Mexico, the Spanish also spread chiles to Hawaii and other Chile peppers traveled from the New as from their colony in Brazil. They also eventually Pacific Islands. is no evidence they introduced World to Spain in 1493 with the return carried chiles on voyages from Africa to southeast them to chile peppers. The of Christopher Columbus from one of his North America. 7 To Eastern and Central Europe Spanish certainly brought them voyages to the Caribbean. Chile peppers didn’t reach Eastern and Central Europe along when they colonized the 5 Via the Silk Road to China 3 Onward from Spain through trade with other Europeans. Rather, Arab or Turkish region in 1598. Although the Portuguese reached the coast of China traders likely transported them from India or Asia through From Spain, peppers spread west to by 1542, chile peppers may have reached the interior the Persian Gulf and northwards in the mid-1500s. From Portugal, north as far as Britain and of the country earlier, brought overland by traders via Hungary, where paprika became a dominant spice, peppers east through the Mediterranean. the Silk Road or India. spread to Germany.