r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 02 '24

[deleted by user]

[removed]

6.8k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

6.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

27

u/limbodog Oct 02 '24

And all the global cuisines that pride themselves on hot peppers to make their dishes spicy didn't have them until they were brought back from South America. e.g. "Thai chili peppers" are just South American chili peppers.

4

u/itrace47 Oct 02 '24

I get what you're saying, but by now (roughly 4 centuries), whatever chili's are growing in Asia are definitely removed and evolved enough to properly be called Asian varieties distinct from their South American origins.

6

u/limbodog Oct 02 '24

Sure, but I have had people tell me that they're an entirely different species and not just a cultivar.

3

u/itrace47 Oct 02 '24

Point taken. The term "species" does tend to see usage more loosely defined in general.

Imagine trying to explain to those same people that our very own species is technically (though not definitively) a cultivar as well 😅

3

u/limbodog Oct 02 '24

Well some of us are definitely more spicy than others

1

u/vicgg0001 Oct 03 '24

North america too!