Chili

Chili (filfil ahmar ‘red pepper’), when called for in the recipes here, is usually ground dried red chili peppers unless otherwise specified. Columbus found it in the Caribbean and brought it to Spain in 1514. It reached India in 1611 through the Portuguese and from there it spread to southern and western Asia. The date of its arrival in the Middle East is unknown. Food in Iraq is generally mild but people in the southern region tend to like it spicier and hotter, due to the Indian influence. So-called Hungarian paprika, referred to as Turkish pepper in Hungarian cookbooks, was in fact originally brought to Hungary by the Muslim Turks during the Ottoman rule. Use paprika whenever you want to add less heat but more flavor and color to your dish.