Darling, I am home!

 Darling, I am home!

A biography: Chilli’s quest to India

Today, Chilli and India are like the moonwalk and Michael Jackson, a synonym for one another; but she wasn’t always the nAAGin of the jungle. A

food-related fact that surprises Indians more than Samosas (yes, we did not invent it) is that chilli isn’t native to India. So, how did she become the name on everybody’s lips?

Chilli was born and brought up in Latin America. One day, while her siblings Paprika and Cayenne prepared dinner, chilli could not help but dream of getting out of America, much like our small town folks fantasizing about Bombay. She wanted to travel and spice up her life.  

Thus, began Chilli’s quest for a pepper life. She got together with her buddy Vasco (Da Gama) and sailed to India, the land of spices.

She travelled throughout India and within years, India was cultivating chilli in heaps and bounds so much so that we began exporting around the world. Fun fact, when Christopher Columbus set sail, he was not looking for America, but for India and its spices. 

Today, Chilli is an indispensable spice used as a basic ingredient in everyday cuisine all over the world. Some prefer strong, some prefer mild but it is unimaginable to think of Indian cuisine without its hot spice, chilli. 

So now you know all about how chilli became the ‘It girl’ of Indian cuisine. Hope you enjoyed her journey to our country. Don’t know about you, but all this spice talk has got me craving some gol gappes, so while you enjoy this blog, I am gonna go inhale some. Chilli out! XOXO