Chili con carne (literally "Chili with meat", often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew made from chili peppers, meat, garlic, onions, and cumin. Traditional chili is made with chopped or ground beef. Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, may substitute different types of meat and may also include tomatoes, beans, or other ingredients. The name "chili con carne" is a variation of the Spanish chile con carne, which means "peppers with meat." Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants.

ORIGINS AND HISTORY

Many argue that chili was invented in Mexico during the 1840s as a replacement for pemmican. Some place its origin in Tijuana, Baja California, or Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. An alternative and more widely accepted theory holds that chili con carne was born in Ensenada, Mexico in the 1880s as a way poor Tejanos stretched available meat. However, this theory does not take into account that Ensenada and Texas are very far from each other. Charles Ramsdell, a writer from San Antonio in an article called San Antonio: An Historical and Pictorial Guide, wrote: "Chili, as we know it in the U.S., cannot be found in Mexico today except in a few spots which cater to tourists. If chili had come from Mexico, it would still be there. For Mexicans, especially those of Indian ancestry, do not change their culinary customs from one generation, or even from one century, to another."

Chili is said to be the food of forgiveness and reconciliation. The Mexican origin theory holds that it was created as a complimentary dish served at cantinas, especially to please outsiders, who wanted something spicy and "Mexican" to eat (provided it was free or cheap). It was made with leftovers from the meals prepared in the cantina and served for free to drinking customers. Chile peppers originated in the Americas and were in wide use in pre-Columbian Mexican culture. Any stew made using significant numbers of chiles might be seen as a forerunner of all modern chili recipes.

While evidence of corn in pre-Columbian proto-chili stews remains to be discovered, its usage can be inferred. Although bulk grain fillers are not considered legitimate ingredients in some recipes, masa — a meal made from either corn flour (masa harina) or corn that has been treated with caustic lime to make hominy (masa nixtamalera)— is often used as a thickener and flavoring.

The Americanized recipe used for expeditions consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers (usually chilepiquenes), and salt, which were pounded together and left to dry into bricks, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.

The "San Antonio Chile Stand", in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped people from other parts of the country taste and appreciate chili. San Antonio was a significant tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West.

 

VARIATIONS

Original Texas-style chili

Texas-style chili contains no beans, tomatoes, or other vegetables besides chili peppers. Beans may be mixed at the diner's discretion in his or her own serving bowl. The meat (beef, venison, or other mature stewing meat) is cut into bite-sized pieces (traditionally, the size of a pecan nut) or coarsely ground. Prime beef and veal are not considered suitable for chili, as they tend to fall apart in long cooking. Suet is also added for flavor, but is often omitted. New Mexico or Anaheim peppers, or a combination of these or others (such as pasillas, chiles de arbol, anchos, etc.) are often used. The kinds and amount of chili peppers used determines the level of heat: for a spicy version, four pepper pods per pound of meat might be used; for a milder version, only 1–3 pods. Chili powder is often used as a substitute for whole chili peppers. A half teaspoon of chili powder is the approximate equivalent of one average-size chili pod.

Pedernales River chili

President Lyndon Johnson's favorite chili recipe became known as "Pedernales River chili" after the location of his Texas Hill Country ranch. It calls for eliminating the traditional beef suet (on Johnson's doctor's orders, after LBJ suffered a heart attack while he was U.S. Senate Majority Leader) and adds tomatoes and onions. LBJ preferred venison, when available, to beef; Hill Country deer were thought to be leaner than most. Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady, had the recipe printed on cards to be mailed out because of the many thousands of requests the White House received for it.

Beans

Beef was plentiful and cheap in San Antonio and other cattle towns. As chili spread east into areas where beef was more expensive, however, chili made with beans became more prevalent. In some eastern areas, this dish is referred to as chili beans while the term chili is reserved for the all-meat dish. Pinto beans are commonly used as chili beans, as are black-eyed peas, kidney beans, great northern beans, or navy beans. Chili bean can also refer to a small red variety of common bean also known as the pink bean. The name may have arisen from that bean's resemblance to small chili peppers, or it may be a reference to that bean's inclusion in chili recipes. Most commercially prepared canned chili includes beans. Commercial chili prepared without beans is usually called "Chili No Beans" in the United States. Some U.S. manufacturers, notably Bush Brothers and Company and Eden Organic, also sell canned precooked beans (with no meat) that are labeled "chili beans". These beans are intended for consumers to add to a chili recipe and are often sold with spices added.

Controversy

A popular saying among self-proclaimed chili purists is, "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans." The concept that beans do not belong in chili may be further credited to the fact that most official chili cookoffs do not allow beans. In many cases, a chili will be disqualified if it contains such ingredients, considered filler. Pinto beans (frijoles), a staple of Tex-Mex cooking, have long been associated with chili. The question of whether beans "belong" in chili has been a matter of contention amongst chili cooks for an equally long time. It is likely that in many poorer areas of San Antonio and other places associated with the origins of chili, beans were used rather than meat, or in addition to meat. In that regard, some chili aficionados suggest that there were probably two chili types made in the world, depending on what could be afforded and how frugal the cook was.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are another ingredient considered anywhere from required to sacrilegious when included. Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of "Two-Alarm Chili" (which he later marketed as a "kit" of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chili — one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chili should never be eaten freshly cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavor. Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler's chili "was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession.

Vegetarian chili

Vegetarian chili (also known as chili sin carne, chili without meat, or chili) acquired wide popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of vegetarianism. It is also popular with those on a diet restricting the use of red meat. To make the chili vegetarian, the cook leaves out the meat or replaces it with a meat analogue, such as textured vegetable protein or tofu, or a complementary vegetable, such as potatoes. Many variant recipes exist. Almost any available vegetable can be added, including corn, squash, mushrooms, potatoes, and even beets. Corn, squash, and beans are known as the "Three Sisters" of Native American agriculture in the American Southwest. They were cultivated together, and complemented each other as foods. Corn and beans together made a complete protein. One popular variant is lentil chili, which is consumed widely in France. Lentils (usually brown or green lentils) are used in the place of meat. Because of their high protein content, lentils are an excellent meat substitute, and their flavor blends well with the traditional seasonings of chili. Lentil chili is made either with just lentils or combined with other beans. The seasonings are similar to chili con carne.

"Meat on the side" chili

In order to accommodate vegetarians and nonvegetarians with the same chili recipe, some chefs prepare the meat on the side (al lado), with roughly the same proportion of spices, peppers, onions, etc. as the remainder of the chili. The base chili contains only beans, tomatoes, peppers, and other seasonings. This variant recipe on chili con carne (chili with meat) allows chefs to prepare a single batch of chili which can be enjoyed by vegetarians and other patrons. When patrons are ready to eat, they can select the amount of meat they desire, add the vegetarian chili to their bowl, mix, and enjoy.

In addition to the expected ingredients listed above, some cooks use more esoteric ingredients to both personalize their recipe and try to ensure its superiority. These may include peanut butter, pineapples, bananas, oranges, tomatillos, beer, chorizo, cocoa, chocolate, coffee, tequila, cola, honey, cinnamon, saffron, molasses, vinegar, winewhiskey, and/or bourbon. Some cooks prefer a cast iron pot for cooking chili. Cornstarch is frequently used as a thickener, as is masa. Dark chocolate provides an authentic richness.

source : wikipedia.org

 

Comments

Add New Search

Write comment
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Website:
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."