Christopher Columbus, in search of a new route for the Spice Route, brought back chillies from the New World. The Aztecs used them in their cooking to spice up their dishes, but also to heal bodies and souls, believing that their strength drove away evil spirits.
Back in Europe, where it was relayed by the Portuguese, it spread rapidly, even if pepper was long preferred, even though more expensive. It wasn’t until the economic crisis of pepper and the cutting off of trade routes that Europeans gave the chillies a second chance. It continued on its way to India via the Portuguese colonies. A few decades later, it was the turn of China and Korea. Historically, the chili pepper’s journey across the continents comes to an end in Hungary, after a notable stopover with the Turks.
At the Potager du Roi in Versailles, as elsewhere, chillies are prized for their spiciness and incomparable brightness.