The initial reaction there was that the plant was some exotic aphrodisiac. It was used only as a decorative shrub for some time. The eating of chile peppers didn't become popular in Europe until the Turks introduced the plant to Hungary in the Sixteenth Century and the distinctive Hungarian paprika evolved. Later the Portuguese traders introduced the chile peppers to Africa and India where they became an integral part of the local cuisine. The staple diet of Indonesia is also based on the chile plant.
Chile peppers are today as much a part of Mexican life as ever.
Mexican cuisine would be a meaningless muddle of bland beans and dry corn patties without them. They appear at every meal and are eaten in incredible amounts. According to one estimate, the average yearly per capita consumption is six kilos of fresh chiles, half a kilo of dry chiles and a kilo and a half of canned chiles. If accurate, this estimate means the Mexicans eat more chiles than onions or tomatoes. It's best to start nibbling on the end away from the stem of a chile pepper.