Chilli in Thailand: the heat came from pepper first
Before chillies arrived from the Americas, probably in the 16th or 17th century, Thai cooks got their heat from black pepper (phrik thai), long pepper and other spices. Portuguese diplomats reached Ayutthaya in 1511. Thailand is now one of the biggest producers of dried chillies, and its hottest small chilli is named after mouse droppings.
Checked October 20, 2026 · How we source facts
Timeline
- 1511
The first Portuguese diplomatic mission reaches the court of Ayutthaya, opening direct European contact. [1]
- 16th or 17th century
Chilli is introduced from the Americas. Wikipedia calls it 'the most notable influence from the West' on Thai food. [1]
- Before chilli
Black pepper, long pepper and Sichuan pepper provided the heat in Thai cooking. [2]
- 2020
FAO data for 2020 puts Thailand second in dried chillies and peppers, after India. The order below India shifts from year to year. [3]
Customs and words
Peppers on ChilliFacts
Questions
Did Thai food use chillies before the 1500s?
No. Chillies came from the Americas, probably in the 16th or 17th century. Before that, heat came from black pepper, long pepper and Sichuan pepper.
What does phrik khi nu mean?
"Mouse-dropping chilli", the name for Thailand’s hottest small chillies.
More chilli history
- Chilli in Mexico: where it began, and what the Aztecs did with it
- Chilli in Peru: 7,500 years of uchu
- How chilli reached Europe: Columbus, Spain and Portugal
- Chilli in India: from Portuguese ships to 40% of the world’s dried chillies
- Chilli in Korea: why kimchi wasn’t always red
- Chilli in China: a garden ornament that won Sichuan and Hunan
- Paprika in Hungary: from Turkish pepper to a Nobel Prize
- Chilli in Africa: berbere, melegueta and the Mombasa chilli
- Chilli in the USA: Tabasco, the Scoville test and New Mexico
- Chilli history myths, checked
Sources
- Wikipedia: Portuguese diplomatic mission 1511; chilli introduced 16th/17th c.; phrik thai (peppercorn); phrik khi nu names (secondary source)
- Wikipedia: Before chillies, black pepper, long pepper and Sichuan pepper gave spiciness; chillies probably introduced by Portuguese in 16th c.; nam phrik relishes (secondary source)
- Statista (Katharina Buchholz, 16 Nov 2022; data FAOSTAT 2020): India >1.7 Mt dried chillies in 2020, Thailand second, China third (secondary source)