Chili peppers add kick, warmth and character to dishes. From Mexican salsas to Asian curries and spicy sauces: they are indispensable worldwide. Yet their origin lies entirely in the warm regions of Central and South America.

All chili peppers belong to the genus Capsicum. After the discovery of the Americas, Spanish and Portuguese traders spread the pepper across Europe, Africa and Asia. Within a few centuries chili pepper became a staple in countless cuisines.

What exactly is a chili pepper?

There are about 30 species within the genus Capsicum. The best-known species in the supermarket is Capsicum annuum. This includes, among others, bell pepper, jalapeño and cayenne pepper.

Botanically, chili peppers are not vegetables but berries. The plant is officially considered annual (annuum means 'annual'), but in warm climates without frost it can grow into a perennial shrub.

Why is chili pepper hot?

The heat is caused by capsaicin. This compound stimulates the heat receptors in your mouth.

Madagascar vanilla is known worldwide as the most aromatic and high-quality type of vanilla. This precious flavoring is obtained from the pods of the tropical orchid Vanilla planifolia. Although many people speak of a “vanilla bean,” botanically it is a berry.

The origin of vanilla lies in southeastern Mexico and Guatemala. From there the plant spread to Europe via Spanish explorers and later to tropical areas around the world. Today Madagascar is the largest producer of genuine Bourbon vanilla.

The origin of Madagascar vanilla

Vanilla was brought to Europe in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés. For a long time the plant could only bear fruit in Central America because a specific species of bee provided natural pollination there. It was not until the 19th century that the method for manual pollination of vanilla was discovered. This allowed cultivation to expand to places such as Madagascar, Réunion (formerly Bourbon) and Indonesia. Today Madagascar is responsible

Cinnamon is one of the most beloved spices in the world. From warm apple pie to savory stews: the sweet, spicy flavor of cinnamon adds depth and character to countless dishes. But what exactly is cinnamon? Where does it come from? And what about the health claims surrounding this spice?

In this blog we dive into the origin, composition and possible effects of cinnamon.

What is cinnamon?

Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree, an evergreen tree from the laurel family. The best-known species is Cinnamomum zeylanicum, also called Ceylon cinnamon. This tree originally comes from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), but is now cultivated in several tropical regions.

Besides Ceylon cinnamon there is another commonly used type: Cinnamomum cassia. This variant, often simply called “cassia,” is mainly produced in China and Indonesia.

The production of cinnamon is remarkable. The outer bark of young branches is removed, after which the inner bark loosens. During drying it naturally curls

Szechuan pepper (also written as sechuan pepper or sichuan pepper) is often mistaken for a ‘real’ pepper, but botanically that isn’t correct. It’s not related to black pepper or chili pepper, but is a spice with its own character — and a remarkable effect on your taste buds.

In this blog you’ll read what Szechuan pepper actually is, where it comes from, why it tastes so different from other peppers and how to use it in your kitchen.

What exactly is Szechuan pepper?

Despite the name, Szechuan pepper does not belong to the classic pepper families. Broadly speaking we distinguish three groups of ‘true’ peppers:

1. Black pepper – the genus Piper (family Piperaceae)

2. Chili peppers – the genus Capsicum (family Solanaceae)

3. Allspice – the genus Pimenta (family Myrtaceae)

Szechuan pepper belongs to none of these three. It is the dried husk of the fruit of plants from the genus Zanthoxylum, notably:

• Zanthoxylum piperitum

• Zanthoxylum simulans

• Zanthoxylum schinifolium

The spice is named after the Chinese