Category: Personal Reflections and Diary

(humor) Um. I will debase myself for my fellow males and answer this question: a chili is determined by the use of chili powder. Chili with Meat in sauce refers to a stew. The stew is often colloquially shortened to “chili”. Chili with Meat stew can be extended most commonly with tomatoes, with beans, with rice, and less commonly with pasta. The origin of the term, is a ‘trail food’ where suet (beef fat), chili powder and ground beef, and salt would be combined then formed into bricks and dried. The bricks could be then stored easily when traveling and reconstituted with water and heat and whatever was available mixed in. Neither beans nor tomatoes are original, and pasta (as far as I know) is a stretch (Cincinnati) referring to Spaghetti Bolognese that includes chili powder. The standing argument is that tomato sauce, tomatoes, and/or beans are necessary for the americanized version which was developed in Texas in the early portion of the 20th century. Ergo, Mexican chili refers only to the original brick form, and (much like Chinese food served in America) the 20th century American invention includes beans and or tomatoes, and or rice. So colloquial term ‘chili’ refers to a category, and unless Mexican, American, or Cincinnati, or some other name is included is simply due to the speaker’s custom (intention).

(humor) Um. I will debase myself for my fellow males and answer this question: a chili is determined by the use of chili powder. Chili with Meat in sauce refers to a stew. The stew is often colloquially shortened to “chili”. Chili with Meat stew can be extended most commonly with tomatoes, with beans, with rice, and less commonly with pasta. The origin of the term, is a ‘trail food’ where suet (beef fat), chili powder and ground beef, and salt would be combined then formed into bricks and dried. The bricks could be then stored easily when traveling and reconstituted with water and heat and whatever was available mixed in. Neither beans nor tomatoes are original, and pasta (as far as I know) is a stretch (Cincinnati) referring to Spaghetti Bolognese that includes chili powder. The standing argument is that tomato sauce, tomatoes, and/or beans are necessary for the americanized version which was developed in Texas in the early portion of the 20th century. Ergo, Mexican chili refers only to the original brick form, and (much like Chinese food served in America) the 20th century American invention includes beans and or tomatoes, and or rice. So colloquial term ‘chili’ refers to a category, and unless Mexican, American, or Cincinnati, or some other name is included is simply due to the speaker’s custom (intention).