Hey, it's Empier's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Today, we've got two food books for you,

not cookbooks, but instead there are books that help explain the food ecosystem we have today.

In a bit, if your TikTok feed is anything like mine, you are bombarded by food influencers nonstop.

But we'll hear about an early pioneer in the food content game,

one that helped popularize Chinese food with Americans.

But first, consider the chili.

It can obviously add heat to a dish, sure, but it can also be a useful tool to examine the history of Mesoamerica.

That's exactly what food writer Victor M. Viya does

in the book, The Poetics of Fire, metaphors of chili eating in the borderlands. And he talked to

here now as Deepa Fernandez about why we talk about the pain our brains receive from chilies

in terms of heat and what that has to do with the history of native people.

That's ahead.

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Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

In Victor Valle's new book, The Poetics of Fire, metaphors of Chile eating in the borderlands, we learn the rich

history of the humble Chile from ancient Mexico to the present, a key ingredient in the lives

of so many today. The simple fruit, or is it a vegetable, has its genetic roots dating back

7,000 years, maybe even more, as documented by indigenous peoples of Mexico.

Valle tells a fascinating story that starts with pre-Hispanic science and knowledge

...