CHILI’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS HEAT UP WITH HISTORY
Classic dish also features a myriad of variations
Beans or no beans … seems to be the question or debate when it comes to chili. The dish is popular on restaurant menus, and in competitions that occur throughout the year to determine the best chili recipes. And there are chili organizations including the International Chili Society https:// www.chilicookoff.com/ whose mission is “to uphold the same core value of our founders by bringing together to enjoy healthy competition and America’s great culinary creation—CHILI. Our mission is to continuously improve chili while raising money for charities and non-profits yearround.”
Their mission is interesting, because we think of chili as a winter dish, however, as stated in their mission, chili competitions are popular events year ‘round. Notice, too, it is America’s creation. One thing that I learned in researching the dish is chili’s history is somewhat blurred.
A newer chili cookbook to join my collection is “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World,” by Brian Baumgartner of the Emmy-winning show “The Office” where he played the accountant, Kevin Malone (2022, Fox Chapel Publishing, $24.99) His passion of making chili did not go unnoticed. He was invited to be a judge at the 2021 World Championship Chili Cook-Off sponsored by the International Chili Society.
Baumgartner mentions that the history of chili is “even a bit heated.” He said, “By many accounts, it is a red-blooded American dish; it did not originate in Mexico. In fact, Mexico denies any association with chili, and only a handful of spots serve it. Parts of Mexico that do serve chili only do so to please tourists.”
Was it in the 1880’s at San Antonio’s downtown, known for its famous Hispanic outdoor vendors called “chili queens” where the dish was first introduced? It is said that chili became popular outside of Texas at the San Antonio Chili stand during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Then, in the early 1900s chili parlors sprung up beyond Texas.
Baumgartner’s book gives myriad stories about the origins of the
humble dish. He writes, some historians said, “the earliest versions of chili were made by the poorest class of people to stretch what little meat they could afford.”
“A Southwestern Native American legend claims the first chili con carne recipe was written in the 17th century by a mysterious nun, Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain.” Another theory, “in 1731, a group of sixteen families emigrated to Texas to what is now San Antonio, from the Canary Islands. Historians say the women in those families would make a spicy Spanish stew that became known as ‘Soup of the Devil.’”
There is a cowboy story, too. A recipe from 1850 by Texan cowboys took dried beef, fat, pepper, salt and chile peppers and made “chili bricks” that were later rehydrated using very hot water. This became their go-to food during their long travels.
Baumgartner writes that “the Texas prison system made such good bowls of chili that inmates would rate each jail based on that provision alone!” Would you believe that once prisoners were released, they would request the chili recipe because it was what they missed most?
He writes about “Chili Goes Hollywood.” In 1936 Chasen’s Restaurant owner kept his recipe secretive. Famous people or their chauffeurs would come to the back door to buy the chili. The icons included Jack Benny, J. Edgar Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt. He writes, “it is even said it was Clark Gable’s last meal and that Elizabeth Taylor had 10 quarts sent to her while she was filming Cleopatra in Rome, Italy.”
Several sources mentioned that President Lyndon B. Johnson, a chili lover said, “Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better.” Rumor has it that his wife, Lady Bird received many requests for her recipe, so she had her staff print cards with the Pedernales River Chili recipe. It was named after the location of President Johnson’s Texas ranch.
Baumgartner said, his goal in writing the book “is to share a collection of seriously good recipes— whether they are passed down from days of old or new and original takes.”
Whether it be Texas or Cincinnati chili, beans or no beans, meat or no meat, you’ll enjoy Baumgartner’s sense of humor, and his travels to find the best chili from people of different cultural backgrounds, and differing tastes. One thing, though, every chili recipe has one thing in common…chili pepper. He writes, “by making these recipes yourself, you’re taking part in a once-in-alifetime journey I went on myself to find them.”
It is clear that this humble dish is much more than its simple ingredients. The stories about its beginning are as varied as the ingredients used in making the perfect chili. It’s time to get out your biggest pot and make a batch of America’s iconic dish. Below are a few recipes from Baumgartner’s book.
For the award-winning recipe, by Sean Griffith at the 2018 International Chili Society World Champion Chili Cook-Off visit https://bit.ly/3ndZlPU
Maybe your creation will take first prize in a chili competition! Here are some upcoming competitions held throughout the country https://www.chilicookoff.com/ cookoffs/list
Brian’s Seriously Good Chili
Recipe by Brian Baumgartner
The headnote says, “This is it, folks. My own personal go-to chili recipe. Has it been passed down for generations? No. But it serves as my own best chili recipe that I cook all the time. Don’t be afraid to play! Like it spicier? Add red pepper flakes or Spicy Bush’s Chili Beans. Like it thicker? Feel free to cook this over the stove all day. (Just add water as needed for best consistency.) I felt it was important to add my personal favorite recipe to this book but know that it is always changing. I love exploring new flavors and employing new techniques every time