National Chili Day

Chili is a stew-like soup made entirely with meat, chilies, or chili powder (or both) and according to what region of the United States that you live in, it can also include beans. “Con carne” means “with meat.”

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.”

Five Fun Facts:

1. A green chili pod has as much Vitamin C as 6 oranges.
2. Some cultures put chile powder in their shoes to keep their feet warm.
3. The first chili cook-off took place in 1967 in Terlinga, Texas, a border town about 400 miles west of chili’s alleged birthplace, San Antonio. It ended in a tie between a native Texan and (surprisingly) a New Yorker, but chili cook-offs are still held there today.
4. Hot chile peppers burn calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn in the body, which speeds up the metabolism.
5. Chili pepper color is a function of ripeness .  Green peppers are usually not fully ripe and the same pepper could be green, yellow, orange, or red depending on its level of ripeness.

Read about the hottest chili in the world.

Five Chili Recipes:

1. Jamie Geller’s Chili– Jamie says: When my recipe tester, Joy, tried this at home, her son saw the chili and said, “Let’s make chili dogs!” We thought it was a great idea. My husband would climb a spiked wall for a good chili dog. Now that I know how to prepare this, I can give him a delicious one at home. Boil or grill the hot dogs, place them in buns and ladle a few spoonfuls of chili over top.
2. White Chili– White chili made with turkey or chicken is a tasty alternative to the red-sauce beef variety.
3. Slow Cooker Chili– This recipe will feed my family of 6 for two meals and uses my 8 Quart slow cooker. It’s also great for Shabbat lunch.
4. Chili Con Carne-The chocolate in this recipe adds not only a faint sweetness but also an earthy and robust flavor. I love the way the chocolate makes the texture of the chili velvety. My kids like to garnish their chili with additional chopped chocolate and cacao nibs which are the cracked shell of the cacao bean. They add a crunch as well as cocoa butter fragrance. Cacao nibs are found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores and online.
5. Heart Healthy Vegetarian Chili– Pressure Cooker  – This healthy delicious chili is made so quickly using the pressure cooker.

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Nutritional Information for one cup of chili:

Calories:   287
Fat: 14 g
Carbohydrates:  30 g
Cholesterol: 44 mg
Sodium: 1336  mg
Protein:  15 g
Sugars:  3 g