Chili with an “i”

Before we learn how to make the Authentic Texas Chili Recipe, we need to learn how to spell it.  Let’s get it strait right off the bat.  Chili, the chunky soup type dish, is always spelled with an “i”.  Chile with an “e” is the pepper that makes the Chili spicy.  Thank you for letting me exorcise my demons.

A Brief History of Chili

The following history comes from “Chili History”

When it comes to the story of chili, tales and myths abound. 

While many food historians agree that chili con carne is an American dish with Mexican roots, Mexicans are said to deny any association with the dish.

In the 1880s, a market in San Antonio started setting up chili stands from which chili or bowls o’red, as it was called, were sold by women who were called “chili queens.”

A bowl o’red cost diners such as writer O. Henry and democratic presidential hopeful William Jennings Bryan ten cents and included bread and a glass of water.

The fame of chili con carne began to spread and the dish soon became a major tourist attraction. It was featured at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 at the San Antonio Chili Stand.

By the 20th century chili joints had made their debut in Texas and became familiar all over the west by the roaring ‘20s. In fact, by the end of that decade, there was hardly a town that didn’t have a chili parlour, which were often no more than a shed or a room with a counter and some stools.

It’s been said that chili joints meant the difference between starvation and staying alive during the Great Depression since chili was cheap and crackers were free.