Why do we love chili?

The goddess of chili was Tlatlauhqui cihuatl ichilzintli or ‘Red lady of the respectable chili’. There was no doubt: chili deserved respect. Originating from the Andean region or the Amazon rainforest, chili has been the soul of many cuisines around the world and undoubtedly the firework of Mexican cooking. What would we be without this fruit that hurts as much as it entertains the tongue? The Spaniards took it to Europe as a souvenir. There, they declared themselves sensitive to its heat. In contrast, Arab, Asian, and African palates received it as a revelation. Soon they incorporated it into their kitchens and began to produce it. Now, any foreigner who declares themselves intolerant to it will suffer its influence in more than a third of the world. In Asia, one would miss creamy curries from Indian cuisine, pad thai from Thai cuisine, Korean barbecues with fermented kimchi and chilies, or the spicy-sour soups from Sichuan cuisine. Not to mention the Mexican taco. The uninitiated will take a simple mixture of meat and corn into their mouth without its blessing of green sauce. What an anticlimactic moment they will have eating a milanesa torta without an intermittent bite of pickled chili. There is no local dish where it cannot find a place. Christopher Columbus already spoke of it as “a plant as spicy as pepper that the natives consume in all their meals”. Chili is only left aside when the stomach demands it or when one embarks on a journey to more westernized lands. In every occasion, it is missed. It is all the fault of capsaicin, a substance that responds to pain and releases opioids and endorphins that neutralize it. Because of this, chili is a motor of pleasure and addiction.The use of chili is ancient. It is believed that Mesoamerican cultures began to cultivate it as soon as they became sedentary. The altitude and climate favored its spread. In national cultures, it was sacred food and legend. Even today, it is a sign that wards off the “evil eye” as soon as a vigilant necklace is placed on the door. It is synonymous with celebration when it harmonizes food; it is a sigh, a tear, and silence for those caught off guard.In Peru, the other great Latin American gastronomy, it is a constant. It is present in the seasoning of ceviche, in rocoto relleno from Arequipa. In Southeast Asia, it balances stews alongside kaffir lime and coconut. In Mexican restaurants –both fine and street– it is a courtesy and the most beautiful centerpiece next to a couple of bolillos or totopos.It stirs because to mitigate its heat one feels the urge to inhale and with that, the body becomes over-oxygenated. It warms the throat just like the mind, which is why it is a pun and a joy of language –a wandering between respect and mockery–. The one who can endure a lot is ‘macho’. The one who endures little is ‘gallina’. Chili becomes sweet when sugar is added; into mole, when magic is added. Some centuries ago it was a corrective for misbehaved children, and today it serves as a corrective when one wants to mask poor culinary technique. Chili is the success of many businesses, an object of desire in Mexican pop culture, and eroticism in urban poetry. It is present in rhymes, legends, and songs, like the one that assures it is spicy but tasty. Thank you, chili, for existing!To finish paying homage as it should be, we leave you this compilation of salsas that, no matter what country you are from, will bring joy to your food.