Chili discovering: the spice that cheer the palate of the Italians
The successes and failures of chili, the spice that since 1520 cheer the palate of the Italians
Imaging living in Peru around 900 B.C. You are a Chavin shepherd who decides to take a break with his llamas. Walking in a bright and sunny summer day. Tello‘s enormous monolith provides, indeed, an ideal spot to relax. Ideal to catch your breath while giving your legs a break. The 2-meter tall stone provides you with a sense of relief, from the blistering heat as you wipe the sweat off your forehead. Feeling very grateful for the huge stone and its beautiful inlays. Your eyes carefully examine each small detail to uncover the stories and characters behind it. You are unaware that in 700 years, everything will change. The flowers, leaves, and fruits that the stone dragon tightens in the mouth will be removed from your land. Some foreigners may choose to load them onto powerful ships in order to transport them across the vast ocean that separates your world from other unfamiliar lands.
A field of chili peppers in Italy.
From the New World to the Old Continent
Like the obelisk of Tello, there are many direct testimonies of daily life of pre-Columbian civilizations in which the chili pepper is the absolute protagonist. But why this one and not another solanacea of which the New World was so abundant? Such was the fascination of the Aztecs, the Mayas and the Incas that the chili pepper came to cover multiple functions and in more ways. Useful as aphrodisiac, as a sacred and magical element, as a lucky amulet, as well as medicine. Sometimes chili was instrument of torture, food and even currency. It will not surprise you to know that Christopher Columbus himself felt in love with the mysterious product. He decided to write about its prodigies in his diary of his first trip to the Americas. Not only that, he also took it with him on his return trip to Europe, and started the cultivation exactly one year later, in 1494.
A quality chili pepper requires to be handly harvested
The decline of a dream
Cristopher Columbus was certain that the aphrodisiac power of chili pepper could enchant the noble families of the Old Continent. Families, especially Spanish, with heavy pockets and fast-paced kitchens. He was right, indeed: sixty years later, as expected, the chilli invades all the gardens of Spain and the vegetable gardens of Italy. Thanks to its exquisite spiciness, which distinguishes the chili pepper from the black pepper. But in a short time the expectations of Columbus ended up being pure illusions. Indeed, due to the extreme ease of cultivation of the plant, chili spread soon as a common plant. Departing from that idea of product of elite, evocative of great travels and fruitful trade that Columbus had desired. The final blow was then dealt by the Church, which banned the foreign spice due to those unhealthy and impure purposes that often aroused in his devoted worshippers.
The best died chilli peppers need time for a natural drying
In the south of Italy, the long-awaited success
From the heavy and full pockets of all beauty and wealth of the noble classes to those of the poor people. What worse fate for the chilli than an incessant and unfortunate journey from the sacred to the profane? Poor spice profaned by the prejudice of those same usurpatory hands that so wanted it in their combed gardens. Yet, unexpectedly, it was among the forgotten, the unwelcome, the poorest of Italy that the chili pepper found its original splendor. As a long-awaited miracle, the chilli became indipensible, the spice that gave flavor to those dishes that did not have. Able to preserve meat in the hottest periods. Useful for healing the wounds of those who could not afford medicines.
Chili paste: in Italy is beloved, especially in the southern regions
Chili: indispensable presence
And even today we see it everywhere. On the counters at the farmer’s market, in the kitchens of country houses, on the shelves of grocery stores. Tubes, cans and bags of all shapes, containing chilli of every color and kind. As if they were hanging on the walls of any sacristy. Whether it is added in powder or hung up at the neck of some superstitious ones, Italians continue to celebrate chili in the daily life.. From Abruzzo to Calabria, passing through Campania. There are wonderful native varieties just waiting to be tasted.
Most important recipes based on chili in Italy:
- Spaghetti allo scoglio
- Pasta aglio olio e peperoncino
- Pasta all’arrabbiata
- Nduja calabrese
- Pollo alla diavola
