When chilies are originally from Mexico, was Asian cuisine hot & spicy before the colonial era? If yes, how?

by LongBonbon

Today we cannot imagine Indian or Thai food other than spicy/hot. But if chili was introduced in this region only after Europeans conquered the Americas did the cuisine of these regions undergo a massive change in taste or were the people there relying on other sources of spiciness?

cleopatra_philopater

Not to discourage any further answers but I recommend you look at these older answers on Asian cuisine prior to the Columbian Exchange:

What did "Old World" cuisines that are today known for their spicy foods taste like before peppers were imported from the Americas? by /u/EvanRWT

Without being too stereotypical, there are many regions in Africa and Asia that tend to have a "spicier" palate than many parts of Europe, where people regularly enjoy foods considered intensely spicy by Euro standards. Was this true before the Columbian exchange introduced chili peppers? by /u/valmyr5

Hot peppers originally came from the Americas, but India, Thailand, and large parts of China are famous for their spicy foods. How did they arrive, and how long was it before they became an integral part of the cuisine? by /u/CongregationofVapours

unklethan

And there's a great book that covers this and many other similar questions. 1493 by Charles Mann. Highly recommend!