India now produces 25% of the world's total chilli production. Did you know, though, that the humble chile is not indigenous to our country? Here's how it made its way around the world to become a household name.
Most Asians, particularly Indians, have historically prided themselves on their exceptional tolerance for spicy food, especially when chillies are added. Indian cuisine's spicy quotient is unquestionably among the best, thanks to its abundance of chilies. But did you know that chilies aren't native to this part of the world?

Chillies, also known as 'Mirchi' in numerous Indian languages, are a South American fruit that was initially grown circa 3500 BC in Mexico. It was claimed to be one of many items that finally made their way to the rest of the world after the colonization of America in 1493.

Around 400 years ago, Portuguese traders introduced chilli to India and several other countries in the subcontinent. Previously, Indian recipes employed the local black pepper. Vasco Da Gama's 16th-century expedition to India via the beaches of Goa resulted in the introduction of chiles to this region, and then to the rest of South India. Northern India took longer to adopt it into their cuisine, and it was only until Maratha King Shivaji's army came north to oppose the Mughals that they were able to do so.
Today, this unintentional union of chiles and Indian cuisine is closer to a match made in heaven. Chilies are known for their therapeutic characteristics, which include aiding in digestion, weight loss, and heart health, reducing allergies, and alleviating joint problems and migraines, among other things.