Chilli is a mainstay for many dishes in the Malaysian culinary repertoire. Ashleigh Seow examines the fascinating history of this scorching spice and highlights its importance across the world.

If “What is your name?” and “Where are you from?” are the first two questions most expats encounter in Malaysia then “Can you take spicy food?” or some variant must be the third.

As a confirmed chilli fan, I am often irked by the assumption that, because I am not local, I cannot face a hot sambal belacan or South Indian curry,much as a die-hard Liverpool fan might feel if asked whether he likes football. Only slightly less condescending is the belief of some foreigners in Malaysia that chilli somehow has less culinary merit that subtler northern herbs and spices.

Far from being philistines, chilli fans are eclectic. From Mexican mercados, Texan chilli parlours, or European palaces, to the hawker stalls of Asia and Africa, they are a passionate and happy lot. Chilli continues to make inroads in every culinary tradition. It can be found among the headhunters of central Borneo. Even purist Japanese cuisine has embraced chilli: Sushi artist Hideo Dekura created Habanero chilli sushi.

The Hottest Chilli

A cousin of nightshade and tomato, chilli is loved (or hated) for the searing effect it has on our taste buds. Intensity is measured in Scoville Units, the ratio of sugar water needed to remove all taste to one unit of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilli. Officially, the hottest chilli is the Bhut Jolokia (Bhutanese Chilli) of North East India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, rated at over 1 million Scoville units. By way of comparison, a bell pepper is zero, jalapeño 3,000, Thai chilli 70,000 and police capsicum spray 5 million.

Generally, the higher the altitude it is grown at, the hotter the chilli is. This makes Bhutan the premier chilli nation. Chilli is eaten there as a a proper food, not a spice. It is an important source of vitamins and children start early on chilli-spiced dishes. It is served as breakfast, often with yak cheese. Bhutanese laugh at Indian pretensions to hot curries. I know: the best man at my wedding was Bhutanese and at curry cook-ups, he was always the last person standing.

The King of Chilli must be Juan Carlos of Spain. A keen chilli lover, the King is also a chilli trader exchanging seeds with connoisseurs such as Placido Domingo, the famous tenor, who, when in sad chilli-challenged countries, travels with a small box of chillies. He speaks with the chef, giving instructions for improving the hotel’s cuisine.

It is fitting that the Spanish monarch is the chilli king as his predecessors inadvertently financed the discovery of chilli and introduced it to the rest of the world. Chilli is American. Archaeologists say it is one of the earliest fruits dating back to 7500 BC. As soon as Columbus found the “New World”, he returned to Spain with gold and chilli to tell the King and Queen of his discoveries. From there chilli spread to Europe and, via the Portuguese, to India.Vindaloo curry is an Indian adaptation of a Portuguese dish, carne de vinha d’ahlos. Chilli also came across the Pacific in Spanish galleons voyaging between Mexico and the Philippines.

World’s Greatest Concentration of Chilli

The world’s greatest concentration of chilli heads must be in Texas and the southern USA, headquarters to the Chilli Institute and the Chilli Appreciation Society International which sets standards for cooking chilli, or chilli con carne – no beans or firearms may be used in chilli cooking competitions.Texan chilli sauces make Asian ones seem insipid.

Chilli is a bomb, literally. Indian scientists are working on chilli grenades. Aborigines in Asia fry chilli or smear it on trees to repel elephants. Interestingly, birds are not affected. Chilli is a defence against mammals in favour of avian seed propagation.

What is the remedy if your mouth is burning? Capsaicin is not water soluble, so milk or sweet drinks are best. Before cooking scrape the inside lining of the chilli where the highest concentration is to reduce the potential inferno.Removing the seeds is not necessary.

An Obsession with Heat and Pain

Why this obsession with heat and pain? Capsaicin promotes a delayed endorphin rush. Endorphin is a contraction of endogenous morphine (natural morphine like substances ) which can be habit forming. But what benefits are there besides turning our bodies into drug factories?

Recently, I started growing Scotch Bonnets, a Habanero variety, the 4th hottest chilli. Normally, I add three Thai chillies to my lunch. Just one Bonnet was incendiary and my amah, who tried some, fled. Shortly after, I felt wonderful, charged up without the usual arthritic aches. Nowadays, capsaicin is used as a safe and effective painkiller for arthritis, herpes zoster, diabetic neuropathy, post-mastectomy pain, and headaches. Chillies contain high amounts of potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin A and C (more than lemon juice), plus most of the B vitamins, B6 in particular. Capsaicin also has other health benefits.

Chilli Fix in KL

Chillo heads can get a chilli fix easily in Malaysia but, if you want something different, try Hong La Jiao, a Szechuan restaurant on Jalan Thambi Dollah near Times Square. It displays three chillies over its door. Dishes in the menu are graded zero to 3 chillies.When I zoomed in on the “3 chilli” dishes the waitress looked concerned stressing the word “spicy” whenever I asked about preparation. I settled on Mapo bean curd (mince meat, bean curd, and chili) and fried green chillies. It was an opportunity to eat chilli as a vegetable like in Bhutan. For a chilli head calibrated to “very hot” it was easily bearable and a nice dish that I will try to make at home.

Without the humble chilli, life in Asia would lose all its flavour. Chilli is an integral part of the glory of Asian cuisine and among the most commercially important spices in the world today.

Read This: A Guide on How to Make Your Own Pickles at Home

Source: Senses of Malaysia May-June 2015