quoting Arri London:
Dennis Montey wrote:
>>Is this also the case in Thai, Mongolian and
>> other Asian cuisines who are soooo fond of the heat contributed by
>>peppers?
>
>Chiles don't play any role in Mongolian cooking, as far as I can find
>out.

However, ketchup is quite popular in Mongolia - a squirt on top of a
meat-filled dumpling (buuz). I don't believe tomatoes are grown there, as
the ketchup I saw was imported & expensive. I did see some experimental
farms in the northern Gobi where they grew tomatoes, melons & cucumbers -
all sliced for eating raw. Good healthy food is hard to come by sometimes
& new additions are welcome. My own assumption as to why northern
Europeans adopted the tomato, bell peppers, etc, was because they were SO
TIRED of cabbage ;-) Of course I have nothing to support this opinion.