What, exactly, is chili?

August 14, 5:00 PMDenver Low Carb ExaminerLinda Duffy

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We have all had "chili" of one sort or another, but what makes chili...well...CHILI? I only bring this up because this is the instant message that awaited me when I logged on to Yahoo Messenger at lunch. My friend Abi was being creative in the kitchen and wanted to know if the dish she just whipped up counted as chili.

She didn't say "Hi!" or "How is your day going?". No, she has to ask me profound things that make my brain hurt. In an effort to make the throbbing go away, I immediately engaged my Google-fu powers and found this interesting information by Linda Stradley on the "What's Cooking America" website.

"The only thing certain about the origins of chili is that it did not originate in Mexico. 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."

There are many legends and stories about where chili originated and it is generally thought, by most historians, that the earliest versions of chili were made by the very poorest people. J. C. Clopper, the first American known to have remarked about San Antonio's chili carne, wrote in 1926:

"When they have to pay for their meat in the market, a very little is made to suffice for a family; this is generally into a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat - this is all stewed together."

If there is any doubt about what the Mexicans think about chili, the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959, defines chili con carne as (roughly translated):

“detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York.”" (more)

The rest of the article documents mentions of chili-like dishes dating as far back as the 1600's. It also chronicles the history of the gold old American Chili Cook Off. From what I have learned, to be a chili, it has to contain some type of chili pepper or chili powder to be considered chili. Other than that, what makes it chili will depend on where you live, what other ingredients you have available, and your proximity to the nearest Texan (the prescence of the Texan will determine whether or not you dare add beans).

So does Abi's latest creation count as chili? The only way to know for sure is to make a batch and see for yourself.

Abi's Colorado Chili

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Boulder brand chorizo
1.5 lbs chicken
6-8 roasted ancho chiles
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
2 serrano peppers
6 cups chicken broth
1-2 t cumin
1/2-1 t nutmeg
1 stick cinnamon
6 oz shredded monty jack cheese
8 oz cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook chorizo. Cube chicken and fry the chicken in the chorizo grease.Next, dump EVERYTHING in to a crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add the cream cheese and monty jack during the last half hour to hour. Let it melt and then serve. Eat with sour cream and diced tomatoes sprinkled on top.