Papersky #4 Spice!
Chile Peppers Heat Up the World
Dating back 9,000 around years, the chile pepper is believed to have originated in Mexico. It is now found all over the world and has drastically changed the cuisine of every society it has touched. It is clear there is no stopping this “miracle” food. Our spice journey includes Mexico for a look at moles and India in search of the world’s hottest chile pepper- the famed and fiery Naga Jolokia, to Thailand where acclaimed writer, artist and musician Prabda Yoon cooks us up an original short story and back to Japan for an interview with the ‘Queen of Peppers’ Ms. Mitsuyo Kitamura. Contents also include a history of how chile peppers conquered the world (of cuisine), David DeWitt contributes some Chile Pepper Prescriptions from New Mexico, a guide on how to measure spice via The Wilbur Scoville System, a guide on how to grow your own in addition to useful chile recipes, a medicinal guide to chile peppers and even a feature on the place of the chile pepper in legend and lore. There’s also a visit to artist Richard Woods’ studio, an interview with Anteprima designer Izumi Ogino plus we go in search of the old boiling onsen of the old days in Tokyo then manage to fit in photos from a Brooklyn lot by Yasuyuki Takagi and reports from Kenya, The Netherlands, Japan and New York. Phew!
