Chili Pepper News — Portuguese

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… … and he brought back a strangely hot fruit that reminded him of the black pepper he was after. So, we credit him with the Western world’s discovery of the chili pepper. We’re not wrong for doing that. But, we’re not right either. It’s time we started thanking the Portuguese for their role in the hot sauce world we live in now.

You may have noticed a new chicken chain floating throughout the US. Nando’s hails from Southern Africa, but they specialize in Portuguese flame-grilled chicken. If your African history isn’t up to scratch, just know that the Portuguese colonized a few areas of the continent, including Mozambique and Angola. Unless you have a strong stomach (and you might just if you’re a chili head), the details of Portugal’s withdrawal from the continent aren’t for you. It wasn’t very pretty.