Chili, specifically the chili pepper, originated on the American continent, with its earliest evidence dating back to about 8000 BC and widespread from Argentina to the USA. Chili peppers, belonging to the genus Capsicum, originated in modern-day Peru and Bolivia, cultivated for thousands of years, and were independently cultivated in various parts of the Americas including Mexico and the Amazon. They became known to Europeans when Christopher Columbus and his crew encountered them in the Caribbean in the late 15th century during the Columbian exchange. As for the dish "chili" or chili con carne, it is believed to have originated in Texas, especially linked to the 19th century and the "Chili Queens" of San Antonio who popularized it by selling it to soldiers, travelers, and cattlemen. This dish is a blend of meat, chili peppers, and other ingredients and is widely considered a Texan culinary creation within the larger context of chili peppers' ancient American origins.
