Chilly
Hindi Name: Lal Mirch
Botanical name
Capsicum annum L Capsicum frutescens L
Family name
Solanaceae
Commercial part
Green as well as ripe and dried pod (fruit)
Unlike most other tropical spices, chilies are easy to cultivate and
hence are cultivated in almost all the parts of the world, especially in
the regions with tropic climate. Among the main producers of chilies
India has an important standing.
Chilies were first brought to Europe during one of Columbus'
expeditions but they did not meet much interest because black pepper
seemed a much more promising culinary. However in Spanish and Portuguese
colonies chilies did find a place Chilies were and within a few decades
chilies became a fixed part in the daily diet of nearly all peoples in
South and South East Asia.
One of the reasons for chilies being adopted more easily than any other
spice was the difficulty that the farmers had in growing other pungent
spices as they were expensive and difficult to cultivate. Chilies as
compared to other spices were easy to cultivate and hot and humid
climate in tropical regions, glowing hot desert of Northern India and
extreme cold and dry seasons of the Himalayas in Tibet were perfect for
its growth.
Among all the species of chili only five species of genus Capsicum are
cultivated, and the most important species economically is Capsicum
Annuum besides Capsicum frutescens that includes the Tabasco chili and
is the most famous of all hot chilies.
In Northern India, as well as in Central Asia, chilies are used dried
mostly. They are sold whole or ground at the market and are intensively
fiery, intensively colored and intensively aromatic. In India, chilies
from Kashmir (in the Northwest of India) have the best reputation and
chilies are considered to be the universal spice of India. In India the
states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka,
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are the major chili producing areas and no
country in the world has so much area and production of chili as India.
Chilies have two important commercial qualities, as some varieties are
famous for red color because of the pigment Capsanthin while others are
known for biting pungency attributed by capsaicin.
While consumption of chili is the highest in India, maximum export is
also from this country and India made the record export of 51,900 tonnes
of dry chili in 1996- 97.
Indian chili and its products are brought by a number of countries.
Important among them are Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Korea and USA for
dry chili and USA, Germany, Japan, UK and France for oleoresin.
| Name in International
Languages |
| Spanish: |
Pimenton |
| French: |
Puvre de
Guinee |
| German: |
Paprika |
| Arabic: |
Filfil Ahmar |
| Dutch: |
Spaanse Peper |
| Italian: |
Peperone |
| Portuguese: |
Pimento |
| Russian: |
SStruchkovy
pyeret |
| Japanese: |
Togarashi |
| Chinese: |
Hesiung Yali
chiao |
| Hindi: |
Lal-Mirch
|
|
