Objects of desire

It is known that chilli came to India with the Portuguese, there is, for example, no reference to chillies in the recipes of the Mughal court written by Abul Fazl in the Ain e Akbari

One of the things that I like to eat (and I know it is very un-Gujarati of me) is pork cooked in Naga style — that is to say cooked lightly in its fat with no masala but with bamboo shoot and a chilli known as Bhut Jolokia. This is a murder weapon of an ingredient, in case you are not familiar with it.

It is known that chilli came to India with the Portuguese, who brought it with them from South America. There is, for example, no reference to chillies in the recipes of the Mughal court written by