Food & Drink · 2
Before Portuguese traders introduced chili peppers, which pungent spice provided the primary source of heat in Indian cooking?
Answer
Black pepper
For centuries prior to European contact, Indian cuisine relied on black pepper (and related native spices) for pungency, since chili peppers are native to the Americas and only arrived after Portuguese colonization.
💡 Did you know?
India's famous curry heat comes entirely from chili peppers introduced by Portuguese colonizers—indigenous Indian cuisine relied on black pepper and other spices.
Other options people guess
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
- Cumin
Topics
- chili-peppers
- india
- spices
- history
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