If this isn't the right place to ask I'll take my post down, but if it is: "chili peppers" are very common in many different styles of Asian food, especially so in Thai food where almost all dishes have an element of spiciness. What would these regions been eating before the introduction of peppers from the Americas. It seems hard to believe that the food from some of these regions could have even existed without such a huge part of their identity. Sorry If this is worded poorly, if I need to clarify what I'm getting at I will, but hopefully you guys could give me some insight even if this is a historical anthropology kind of question.