In 1453 Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, marking the end of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire).

Constantinople had been considered impregnable, protected by some of the strongest fortifications and walls that were built over the course of more than 1000 years. Its fall heralded the end of the medieval era and the start of a new age of siege warfare, one in which heavier and faster firing gunpowder weapons like bombards would dominate.

Chili peppers are native to central and south America; they weren't introduced to Asia and Africa until Portuguese explorers of the early 1500's brought them from Brazil to Goa in India.

Birds helped distribute seeds further, consuming and depositing chili seeds along their migratory paths. Birds are not affected by the capsaicin heat of chilies.