Traditions with chilli

Chilli, the fruit of plants native to the Americas, spread round the world after 1492 and was adopted with such enthusiasm that many people think of it as indigenous to their own cuisines. From Mexican moles and Sichuan hot pots to Thai curries, Ethiopian berbere, Korean kimchi and Indian pickles, chilli gives heat and colour. Its use is bound up with custom: with what a guest can bear, and with what a family cooks at festivals. These pages describe where and how chilli is used.

Where it is used

In Mexico, dried and fresh chillies make the mole of festivals, such as mole poblano for weddings and the Day of the Dead. In Korea, gochugaru colours kimchi, which families make together in the autumn kimjang. In Ethiopia, berbere spices the doro wat served at holidays. In Sichuan, chillies are paired with Sichuan pepper, in Thailand with lemongrass and lime, and in India, with nearly everything, in countless forms.

What it means

Chilli stands for vigour and warmth. In India and Mexico, a string of chillies and a lime hangs at the door to ward off the evil eye. In Korea, red chilli is hung on the straw rope at a baby's birth to protect the child. Eating a dish hot is often a point of pride, and a host will adjust the heat for guests. Chilli festivals and eating contests are a modern part of the tradition.