Chili Powder #2

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Most Americans think that the wonderful rich, beefy, and beany dish that
we call chili came from some other culture. Mexico, perhaps, or Spain. Not
so. I am afraid that both Mexico and Spain refuse to have anything to do
with what we call good old American chili. One Mexican dictionary goes so
far as to scornfully describe chili as "A detestable food with a false
Mexican name sold in the United States from Texas to New York City." Hey,
watch that! The rest of the country loves chili, too!
The original dish is truly American, though I have found that a lot of
Americans in different locales claim that it was invented in their
backyard. After much research (two days) I have come to the following
unquestionable decision. Chili was invented in San Antonio, Texas, in 1840.
It was a blend of dried beef, beef fat, chili powder and spices, and salt.
It was pressed into a brick and it was so potent that it would not spoil
quickly. It was then taken by the prospectors to the California gold
fields. There it could be reconstituted with water and cooked with beans.
It was very much like the pemmican that had been used in earlier times but
with spices added. Please note that there is a difference between plain
powdered chile and chili powder. Chili powder is a mixture of spices. See
hint below.
San Antonio has the distinct privilege in history of laying claim to
"Chili Queens." These ladies had little carts and tables and would appear
late in the evening and sell chili and whatnot. . . . I expect more whatnot
was sold than chili. They were forced to close down in 1943 due to city
health regulations of some sort . . . mostly sort.
I would have thought that all of Texas would have been involved in
wonderful chili. But in 1890, when chili arrived in McKinney, a town just
north of Dallas, all blazes broke loose. It seems that some wayward
ministers claimed that chili was "the soup of the devil--food as hot as
hell's brimstone." I wonder if these clergy ever bothered to taste a good
pot of chili.
This very American dish spread throughout the country and in 1985 the
canned chili industry (Lord, only in America) claimed that 240 million
pounds had been sold, grossing $254 million. I am repulsed by canned chili
and I urge you to make your own. It is not complex and you will become
famous in your own dining room.
CHILE PODS: You need to decide what kind of chile pods you wish to use
for your own chili. See "CHILES, TYPES OF" for a discussion of the red
pods.
PLAIN CHILI POWDER: If a recipe calls for plain chili powder, then you
ask the merchant in your Mexican or Latin American shop for just that. You
do not want spices in the mixture.
HINT: ON MAKING YOUR OWN CHILI POWDER. Remember that chile and chili are
different. Chile is ground chile pods. Chili is a blend of spices.
Commercial chili powders are made of ground chile (see above for your
kind), ground cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Some even contain
sugar. I would suggest the proportions described in the list of
ingredients.
Place all in your medium-sized food processor or food blender and grind
until fine. Use as you will in your chili recipes. Your version will have a
much brighter flavor than commercial chili powder. If you wish to make it
hotter, add cayenne pepper to taste. You will have your own blend going in
no time.
From <The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American>.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe
Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.

A Message from our Provider:

“To ignore God is the height of selfishness”