Chili pepper
Distribution to Europe

When Christopher Columbus and his crew reached the Caribbean, they were the first Europeans to encounter Capsicum. They called the fruits "peppers" because, like black pepper (Piper nigrum), which had long been known in Europe, they have a spicy, hot taste unlike other foods. Chilies were first brought back to Europe by the Spanish, who financed Columbus's voyages, appearing in Spanish records by 1493. Unlike true pepper vines (of genus Piper), which grow naturally only in the tropics, chilies could be grown in temperate climates. By the mid-1500s, they had become a common garden plant in Spain and were incorporated into numerous dishes. By 1526, they also appeared in Italy, in 1543 in Germany, and by 1569 in the Balkans, where they came to be processed into paprika.
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