Following the path of chili peppers from Mesoamerica through the Sister Cities
Why is Mexican and Indonesian food so spicy? In both countries, many people love to cook with chili. But why is this, and why do we find chili plants being cultivated all across the globe? In planning for our chili cooking event, the Berlin-Jakarta and Berlin-Mexico City tandem researched the history of the chili plant. We were surprised: Chili was unheard of in Asia before it traveled there abroad Portuguese ships during the early phase of colonization. It reached Goa, India, around 1520, and from there, it rapidly spread across Asia. Chilies are much easier to cultivate than black pepper, for example. Unexpected connections can bring new things to life: People adopted the spicy ingredient and experimented with it in gardens and kitchens from India through Thailand to the Philippines, leading to the creation of many new dishes.
Chili peppers originated in Mesoamerica, a cultural region that includes Mexico and several Central American countries. Its name derives from the Nahuatl word “chilli,” and its cultivation began over 6,000 years ago. Even in pre-Hispanic times, chili peppers were not only a food source, but also a medicinal plant and a symbolic cultural heritage.
How chili is prepared and enjoyed can express a sense of identity and belonging. Our tandem-partners shared some insight into the role of chili in their cities:
While learning how to cook four Indonesian sambals (Sambal Bawang, Sambal Tuk-Tuk, Sambal Pecak and Sambal Matah) and three Mexican salsas (Salsa Macha, Salsa Verde, Salsa Roja), we invited participants to reflect on relationships between taste, memory, and belonging.
Here are some reflections participants shared on the night:
- “I think chili is like sort of my way of life, like chili is just something I grew up with.”
- “I am actually not that good with chilli, but it brings cultures together.
- “As an Indian, chili is part of our everyday food and usually when we go to get groceries, we get chili for free. But when I go to any Indian store here, I have to pay for it – so I am like, why am I paying for this I usually get it for free?!”
- “I would say I associate chili with punishments, not for me but for my friends. They told me how their parents would punish them with putting chili in their mouths to punish them for something they did.”
- “Tonight, I learnt that you can eat kaffir lime leaves! I always thought of them as something that you just use as seaoning and then you take it out, like bay leaves. But in the sambal that we made, sambal matah, you cut them up really thin and then you just add them to the sambal and then you eat it – and it was delicious!”
The chili cooking event was hosted by Watch Indonesia! and Mexico Via Berlin as part of the sister city initiative „Sister Cities in Action“, funded by the State Office for Development Cooperation (LEZ).
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Eine Veranstaltung von Watch Indonesia! und Mexico Via Berlin im Rahmen des Städtepartnerschaftprojekts „Sister Cities in Action“, gefördert von der Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (LEZ) Berlin.