Chili peppers originated in the Americas.
After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili pepper spread across the world, used in both food and medicine.
Chili pepper pods, which are berries, are used fresh or dried.
Chiles are often dried to preserve them for long periods of time.
Dried chilies are often ground to powders, although some Mexican dishes including variations on chiles rellenos may use whole reconstituted chilies, and others may reconstitute dried chilies before grinding to a paste.
Chilies may be dried using smoke.
Many fresh chilies have a tough outer skin which does not break down on cooking.
For recipes where chiles are used whole or in large slices, roasting, or other means of blistering or charring the skin are usually performed so as not to entirely cook the flesh beneath.
When cooled, the skins will usually slip off easily.
Chili pepper plant leaves, mildly bitter but not nearly as hot as the fruits that come from the same plant, are cooked as greens in Filipino cuisine and are used in the chicken soup.
In Japanese cuisine, the leaves are cooked as greens, and also cooked in tsukudani style for preservation.
Chilies are present in many cuisines.