Despite being synonymous with cuisines across the Indian subcontinent, chili peppers aren't native to the region. They arrived from the Americas via Portuguese traders in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, eventually transforming cooking across South Asia.
Today, the chilli is far more than an ingredient. Across India, strings of lemons and chillies - nimbu mirchi - are traditionally hung outside homes and businesses to ward off bad luck, making the humble chilli both a culinary staple and a cultural symbol.