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Chili Cookoff
What Makes It Chili?
"…it can only truly be Texas red if it walks the
thin line just this side of indigestibility: damning the mouth
that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients
are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together."
John Thorne, Simple Cooking
What it takes to make a true chili is the subject of fierce
debate, but the answer depends largely on where you are from.
The required ingredients are meat (we're talking tradition
here) and chiles or chili powder, and usually garlic, cumin,
and oregano. Commercial chili powders typically include cumin,
oregano, and garlic in their dried chile blends.
At one end of the chili spectrum are the traditionalists,
or purists, otherwise known as Texans, who prefer (what else)
Texas-style chili. That translates to no beans, and on this
point they are rigid. Chile con carne means "chili with
meat," not "chili with beans." They do, however,
like their pinto beans on the side. This group also insists
on using chunks of beef, or sometimes coarsely ground "chili
grind." To keep the chili pool pure, the entry rules
for many cookoffs in the Lone Star state disallow the use
of ground meat.
Once the above criteria are met, every other ingredient
is subject to dispute: Are onions used in authentic Texas
red? What about tomatoes or tomato sauce? And thickener? If
yes, flour or masa harina? But never beans!
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the advocates of
Cincinnati-style chili, which is popular in chili parlors
in Cincinnati, Ohio. This unique chili was created by a Greek
immigrant in the 1920s who was reportedly having difficulty
selling Greek food to Americans at the time, so he concocted
a "chili" made with ground beef, chili powder, and
Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg,
cumin, mace, coriander, etc.), which was then served over
a mound of spaghetti. Optional toppings included shredded
cheese (three-way chili), chopped onion (four-way), and kidney
beans (five-way).
For the rest of America, chili preferences fall somewhere
between those of Texas and Cincinnati, frequently including
beans, tomatoes, and ground meat (beef, pork, venison, or
turkey). Other chili inspirations even include tamale pie
and chili pie, which have been family favorites for decades
in countless households.
Whatever your penchant, the Chili Appreciation Society International
offers some guidance in its motto: "The aroma of good
chili should generate rapture akin to a lover's kiss."
Story © Sandra Day
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