Summer Corn, Sweet Pepper + Peach Salad

The first wild peppers probably produced small, red, pea-sized fruits, which attracted frugivorous birds. Since birds don’t have the receptors in their mouths for capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their heat, they were unbothered by spicy peppers. Bird digestive systems also leave pepper seeds intact, making them ideal distributors for spreading them throughout North and South America, where scientists believe peppers originated.

Domestication of peppers dates back to pre-Incan times. They were grown by ancient Peruvians of the Paracas, Nazca, Moche, and Chimu cultures. Records of this species can be seen in the textiles, ceramics, and domestic remains of these societies.

While Spanish conquistadors introduced peppers to much of Europe, it was the Portuguese traders who brought pepper to Asia. There peppers found fertile ground both literally and figuratively, especially in India and China. Peppers became so domesticated and spread throughout China, that during the 18th and 19th century it was generally accepted that peppers originated in China. Even today, China is the largest pepper producer in the world.

In addition, Hungary is also credited with the “discovery” of sweet peppers. More precisely in 1920 a grower near the town of Szeged in present-day Hungary discovered a way of cultivating peppers without containing capsaicin. These “sweet” peppers are now grown throughout the world for their flavorful fruit.