Chili Pepper (Capsicum spp.) as a Peasant Cultural Heritage: Exploratory Analysis

Peasant communities in Chile produce and process local varieties of chili pepper (Capsicum spp.). This crop is of pre-Hispanic origin, being an essential spice for the local gastronomy. Despite the expansion of industrial agriculture, these communities preserve traditional systems of production and processing. In addition, the communities have intuitively added value to their produce highlighting its ancestral origin, local varieties, traditions and identities associated with its production and consumption. We propose that chili pepper production by peasant communities can be recognized as a cultural heritage and be safeguarded. The objective was to explore cultural heritage elements of the production, processing, and uses of chili pepper in peasant communities, as a contribution to safeguard this heritage. The method was a participatory exploration of the chili pepper production systems in two peasant communities from different conceptual frameworks of cultural heritage. The results show that the heritage linked to chili pepper is a living, dynamic and indivisible intergenerational web of culture, knowledge, technologies and local genetic resources. The empowerment and mobilization of the communities are key aspects for the conservation of cultural heritage, although attention must be paid to economic functions supporting chili pepper production.