What, if anything, did Asian cuisine use to add heat prior to the Columbian Exchange?

by MrRaoulDuke

If hot chili peppers are native to N. America, what was used to add heat to Indian, Thai, Lao, etc. food before European colonization? Did these plants travel from N. America by Pacific trade routes prior to the Columbian Exchange? Was some other plant/ product used?

Searocksandtrees

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