How is it that chillies which originated in Mexico ended up so much a part of Thai cooking ?

Answer 1

ok.......every country has they own chillies growing so mexican chillies are totally different from the thai ones...get it straight

Answer 2

Actually most capsasin was brought over the bearing straits when the ice caps allowed the migration of the people across the North America. Only When they were able to plant them did the changes happen. Like the vidalia onion was a regular onion until it was planted in the sulfur rich soil in Washington. So as people migrated and farmed their food they were able to change by selective breeding. Corn has also been effected in the same process. If you go to central America their corn is very different that our own. This is the problem with globalization indigenous foods are loosing out to genetically altered foods. So on one hand genetically grown foods are helping in would hunger but we are loosing many variety of other foods. The most interesting thing I have read is that in the Andi mountains explorers have found stashes of seeds that they believe to be hundreds of years old. They have propagated these foods and believe that we might have some new/old foods that might be available for the world to try.

Answer 3

Chilis make a perfect natural preservative. And if you look at the Thai home and the climate (which is ideal for bacterial growth), they needed means to make food last. The capsaicin, which gives a chili its heat, makes the dish inhospitable for the bacteria which would turn it bad quickly.

And what you bring up is not a unique occurance, many foods start somewhere, but become integral to other cuisines. Tomatoes are also indiginous to the Americas, and as part of the nightshade family, Europeans didn't trust their safety for a long time. But how identified with Italy is a tomato sauce or sundried tomatoes?

Answer 4

They most probably originated in more than one place.

Most chile peppers are found throughout the American Southwest, especially New Mexico, where they are a staple of Pueblo Indian cooking.

The peppers helped preserve the foods in a warm climate where there was no refrigeration. For similar reasons peppers and curry have found their way into cooking in many parts of Asia, which similarly experience warm climates and require steps be taken to preserve food.

I believe you will find on examination that the chile peppers in Mexico, the U.S., and Thailand may not be identical, although they probably are related plant species.

You could make the case that great minds and people tend to think alike and incorporate foods into their diets as needed.

Answer 5

The same way cocoa (Jamaica) and coffee (Ethiopia) found its way to europe and the rest of the world. All thanks to the ever inqusitive nature of the early civilization which made them travel extensively and relentlessly in order to quench their thirst.

Conquest and invasion of foreign nations also contributed to the discovery and fusion of the ethnic cuisine.

Chillies didn't even reach Thailand until the 16th century when they were brought over by the Portuguese. Peppercorns had been used to spice food before then. They're rich in Vitamin C, originally eaten by sailors to prevent scurvy long before oranges were discovered as the tastier alternative.
All original sources of the chilli pepper can be traced back to one lone plant in Bolivia.

Hope this answers your question!

Answer 6

The first capsicums, of which chili pepper is one, was brought back from the new world to the old by Christopher Columbus. Other European explorers brought other capsicums to the old world. It is speculated that within 50 years the peppers of the new world had spread through Africa, India and the Far East. They were readily adapted to local cuisines and claimed as their own.

Answer 7

Pangaea?

Answer 8

maybe the wholesale price per 100lb
shipping cost included???
hasn't Thailand had major destruction of late.

Answer 9

im mexican yey are you? well i just answered this because mexican food is deliciouse i have no idea what ur asking freak