The Chili pepper like the Tomato, and the Potato originated in the new world. The peppery flavor however was known in ancient Roman times long before the Chili Pepper had been discovered. You all know about black Pepper, (Piper nigrum) but how many of you know about what the Chili Pepper replaced in the world wide cuisine. Long Pepper (Piper longum) its flavor is somewhat more pungent than black pepper but not as pungent as chili peppers. Long Pepper is easy to obtain and is very interesting to cook with. It is not as easy to work with as regular black pepper because you need to grind the seed pods in a coffee mill. What ultimately caused Long Pepper to be eclipsed by the New World's chili was the fact the Chili could be quickly grown everywhere the growing season was long enough, and it was rapidly dispersed by Portuguese, and Spanish colonies. Long Pepper plants only grow in tropical regions of the earth such as Indonesia, and India. Use Long Pepper just like you would regular black pepper it is an interesting ingredient is BBQ sauces.
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