Chile Pepper Nomenclature

Dave DeWitt Chile History, Chile Nomeclature Leave a Comment

By Dave DeWitt A great deal of discussion and controversy has erupted over the terminology of the Capsicum genus in English. There are hundreds if not thousands of common terms for the pods in languages from all over the world, so it is curious that the following ones have been debated with such passion. Ají. This word, from the Arawaks …

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The Chile Cultivars of New Mexico State University Released from 1913 to 2007

Dave DeWitt Historical Gardening Leave a Comment

NMSU Research Report 763, November, 2008 By Danise Coon, Eric Votava, and Paul W. Bosland Photos by Paul W. Bosland, Dave DeWitt, and Harald Zoschke The New Mexican-type chile is an important ingredient in the Southwestern food industry. Chiles have grown from a regional food for tourists to an important international export. Improvement of New Mexican chile cultivars through breeding …

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New Mexico Chile Pepper History Through 1973

Dave DeWitt Historical Gardening Leave a Comment

By Tom Clevenger and David G. Kraenzel   Chile has been produced in the Rio Grande Valley for almost 400 years. The following excerpt from the Rio Abajo Press, February 2, 1863, indicates the importance of the crop more than 100 years ago: “Congress takes fifty thousand dollars out of the pockets of the people of the United States to …

The “True Chili Capsicum”

Dave DeWitt Chile History Leave a Comment

By Joseph Paxton Editor’s Note: Sir Joseph Paxton (1803–1865) was an English gardener, architect, and Member of Parliament, best known for designing The Crystal Palace. Paxton began publishing a monthly magazine, Magazine of Botany in 1834. In 1838, when Capsicum nomenclature was still in its infancy, Paxton wrote about a new chile pepper species that was called Capsicum ustulatum. “Ustulatum” …