CHILI, SAMBAL & MALAYSIA sambalmalaysia | Page 5

All about Chili Ever wonder where does this holy grail originated from? Is it Mexico or India or even America? Well it is said that Christopher Columbus was the person responsible bringing chili to the rest of the world when he discovered America in 1493. This is one funny story of how the plot  twist. It began when Christopher had set from Spain to reach India to bring spices such as pepper back to his country in Italy.He did not only mistook America for India, but also mistook chili as the black pepper. That is how the chili got the name ‘chile pepper.’ The remarkable spread of the chili (or chilli, or chile, or chile pepper, to use just a few of its myriad names and spellings) is an interesting chapter in the story of globalization.  Ask a Chinese chili lover or an Indian or a Thai  and even English, most would swear that chilies are native to their homeland, so essential to their cooking, so deeply embedded  in their culture. Adding these magnificent spice to everyday staples have the ability to turn even the poorest food becomes rich in flavor,  that makes the chili become one of the most important ingredients in the world. Many agreed that once we develop a taste for hot food, which provides a rich taste, there is no going back. It turns into a craving and later become addictive but a good kind of addicted definitely.