Hot and fiery

When they were sown last spring, I wasn’t sure if they would give good results.  Even though the seeds had been removed, my hands burned throughout the day after cutting it. The seeds were there in front of me and I was wondering whether to throw them away or sow them and see what happens. So I left them to dry in the sun and the next day they were sprinkled on a small area of the ground and covered well with soil. The saplings were later transplanted with proper spacing between them. They however, did not flower the following summer. So I became skeptical if they were like those few non -flowering chilli plants that were already growing in a corner. With the coming of autumn, my disappointment vanished. Despite not getting direct sunlight, they produced numerous white flowers followed by long tapering fruits. This summer, the flowering has been even more profuse.

Botanical name : Capsicum annuum

Family : Solanaceae

Flowers are white and gamopetalous.

This hanging bunch was the first to form.

Others preferred to stay upright.

They have been growing thicker and longer with time.

This little one has already turned red.

It is hard to imagine that chillies which are now used as a key ingredient in most of the Indian dishes was missing from the Indian food scene 500 years ago! Two other members of the same Solanaceae  family, potatoes and tomatoes along with chillies were introduced to India by Portuguese traders in 16^th century A.D. from South America where they grew naturally.  Their incorporation to Indian food over the years has made them an integral part of Indian cuisine.

The hotness of chillies is due to the presence of capsaicin in them. More the capsaicin content, the hotter they will be.

And how hot are these? Well, like mother like daughter. Hot and fiery.