The first Europeans to have contact with this species were the crew members who accompanied
Christopher Columbus when they first landed in the
Caribbean in 1492. In addition to being a noble delicacy much appreciated by the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, it was also used as a natural dye and, above all, as a medicine. The spicy
capsaicin content of the chilis must have aroused the interest of the Portuguese, who for decades have been looking for easier sources for the then-rare
black pepper of Asia (the
piquant compound in which is
piperine); one of the major motivations for the Columbian voyages was to discover a new route to Asia for direct trade in spices, silks, and other Asian goods. At the time of Columbus's arrival in the New World, the Portuguese traded from the
Gulf of Guinea a very popular African spice as a substitute for the black pepper:
Aframomum melegueta (today in disuse in the
West, but known as grains of paradise), which was then best known as melegueta pepper. Although African slaves loved the grains of paradise already familiar in their culture, they were fascinated by the fiery Capsicum pepper. In the period of intense exchanges and trips between Europe and the Americas known today as the
Columbian exchange, Portuguese navigators took this new "malagueta" to Portugal and to Brazil, where it became known as , , or ; to Africa, where it became very popular as
jindungo and
piri-piri; and eventually to Asia, where it became an ingredient of
curries and other spicy dishes. Because of its qualities, less than a century after being brought to Europe this chili pepper spread to many other Old World cultures and became integrated with local cuisines, including in Arabia, India, Thailand, China, and surrounding regions. ==Uses==