How did a fruit from the Americas end up in Indian, Thai and Korean food?

A fruit from the Americas reached Asian kitchens mostly on Portuguese and Spanish ships in the 16th century. Chili peppers originated in Central or South America and were first cultivated in Mexico, and the plants have been part of human diets since about 7,500 BC. They reached Europe when Diego Álvarez Chanca, who sailed on Columbus's second voyage in 1493, brought them back to Spain.

Columbus and his crew called the fruits "peppers" because they were pungent like black pepper. They were not related, but the name stuck. And chilies had a practical advantage: unlike black pepper vines, which grow naturally only in the tropics, chilies could be grown in temperate climates. By the mid-1500s they were a common garden plant in Spain.

From there the story passes to the sea. The rapid introduction of chilies to Africa and Asia was likely through Portuguese and Spanish traders in the 16th century, though the details are unrecorded. The Portuguese introduced them first to Africa and Arabia, then to their trading posts in Asia, including Goa, Sri Lanka and Malacca. The Spanish brought them to the Philippines, and the Manila galleons carried them across Pacific islands.

Once in Asia, chilies were adopted widely, especially in India, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Korea. Cooks used them with or instead of black pepper and Sichuan pepper, and out of that mixing came staple dishes such as chana masala, tom yum, laziji and kimchi.