On Cayenne Pepper and Christopher Columbus

The hot, biting taste of the fruit from the cayenne pepper plant first came to Europe when Christopher Columbus brought some plants back with him from the New World. The plant which was known by the Caribbean natives as Aji had apparently been growing in the tropical climate of South America and the islands for thousands of years. Yet, somehow it had escaped the attention of ancient civilizations like the Chinese and Greeks as no mention of the plant ever appeared in any literature. No, it was first mentioned by the writer Peter Martyn on the return of Columbus to Italy in 1493. As a herbal with a bite, the popularity of the plant was immediate and spread across Europe quickly.

I personally like to grow Cayenne every year in my raised beds here in southwest Missouri for a couple of reasons. Not only do they add a little heat to my chili recipes, but ounce for ounce, Cayenne pepper contains more vitamin C than about anything else I could grow: 369 mg per 3.5 ounces. Also, the fruit is very rich in vitamin A coming in at 21,600 IU’s for the same amount.

As a rule, I will grow about six plants to maturity each season. Then, I will dry whatever fruit I don’t use immediately. These are ground into a powder and stored in a herbal bottle for use as needed. I usually get enough from the six plants to last me through the winter. I have to tell you my favorite thing is to mix the powder with seasoned salt which is then sprinkled into a bag of potato chips. What a treat!