In "Heart of Gold," Gargamel is shown cutting a carrot with hot peppers, a tomato, and an onion nearby him as preparation in cooking the Smurfs he captured. However, hot peppers and tomatoes were unknown in Europe until they were imported from the Americas in the early 16th century. The background of the Smurf cartoon series is the late Middle Ages (circa 14th-15th century), early for the appearance of hot peppers and tomatoes in Europe.