Chili peppers are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency.

 

Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes.

 

Chili peppers originated in Bolivia and were first cultivated in Mexico.

 

 After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili pepper spread around the world, used for both food and traditional medicine.

 

Cultivars grown in North America and Europe are believed to all derive from Capsicum annuum, and have white, yellow, red or purple to black fruits.

 

In 2019, the world's production of raw green chili peppers amounted to 38 million tons, with China producing half.