The leaves and temperature are falling suddenly. Baseball season is winding down. Football season has wound up. Horror movie season is finally here, and food cook-offs are abundant. It’s fall, y’all.
And it’s also chili season!
It’s the dish for all the above-mentioned events – it’s warm and hearty, can be made in one pot, it travels well and can serve a few or a crowd.
What makes chili, chili?
Well, it’s called chili because, though you may not prefer them in yours, it should have chili peppers in its base.
Chili is believed to be traced back to regions of Mexico, specifically the Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, who cultivated chili peppers and incorporated them in their recipes.
Chili peppers were also grown in the American Southwest. The dish we know as “chili’ used red chili peppers - like ancho or guajillo - and the spicier cayenne for its signature heat and reddish color.
Chili became popular campfire food among cowboys on the cattle trail - most of whom were Mexican - and gold-seeking miners - called forty-niners - on their way to California.
And chili was an excellent traveler from the start. Beef, fat, chili peppers, and seasoning were combined into blocks, called "chili bricks," which were stored in saddlebags. Dropping part of a chili block into a pot of boiling water turned it into a convenient, filling meal. A pot of chili.
The infrastructure for chili to become an American favorite was started by the Chili Queens in San Antonio, where they cooked and sold chili at San Antonio's Military Plaza in the 1860s. The Chili Queens were entrepreneurs who flooded the streets with pots of chili con carne – or chili with meat.
A San Antonio chili stand at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair introduced folks to the Texas-born dish, and the outdoor chili stand was created that later spread to the Midwest.
Does original chili have beans, you ask?
Well, actually no: historically, chili has no beans. Or, not necessarily.
Adding red kidney beans originated in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. Beans were an affordable ingredient that could stretch the dish, providing additional texture and substance.
Authentic chili recipes began at the meat market, where the best meat was bought to eventually mix with peppers, onion, garlic, and spices.
At some point, Spain weighed in and introduced some important ingredients - cumin, oregano, and tomatoes. Tomatoes were not native to the Americas but were brought over by the Spanish.
And let’s not forget the Land of Enchantment
Unlike "Texas red" chili, northern New Mexico's version uses the Hatch chili, grown in the town of Hatch, and gets the name chili verde (green chili) from this key ingredient.
Chile verde consists of chunks of pork, green chilis, onions, and tomatillos. I have a quart of it in my freezer, but not for long.
After all that, when it comes to chili, get a pot started, and have it your way. Beans, no beans, beef, pork, chicken, veggies. Add cheese, sour cream, jalapenos - there’s your chili peppers! – avocados, corn chips. Have it at home or take it on the road.
The International Chili Society, started in 1967, wants everyone to enjoy America’s great culinary creation. Their website has championship recipes like: Crazy Lady Chili; Flight Risk Chili; Tailgate Chili, Trailer Trash Chili, and, of course, Gold Miners Chili.
Resources
https://historycooperative.org/origin-of-chili/
https://www.allrecipes.com/longform/history-of-chili/
