Should chili have beans? Let's settle this once and for all!

[rockle]

@silenus

Is there anyplace in the US that didn’t have Frito Pie? I, too, remember it fondly at Little League games and local fairs.

I’ve never heard of it. But it sounds wonderful. Of course, I’m supernaturally fond of Fritos, so.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@kelly5078

Beans should be an option, as they promote regularity.

[size=5]Ick.[size]

Now I don’t abhor beans in my chili. But one of the absolute non-negotiable dealbreakers of good cuisine is having to think about it coming out the other end. (Unless that’s your kink, of course.)

And the chili is better than anything in Texas

Now I like Cincy style. Quite a bit. But it’s so different than Texas style that comparing them is pointless unless the object is to fight over the meaning of the word chili.

[silenus]

First, you get yourself a big bag of Fritos…

Use Wolf Brand chili if you can find it, Dennison’s if you can’t. Slit the bag length-wise. Ladle in a heaping scoop of hot chili. Top with grated cheese, onions and Tabasco Sauce. It must be eaten with a plastic fork for authenticity.

[BrainGlutton]

@Scumpup

Chili was invented in Texas? So, you are saying that Mexicans_who had long been using chili peppers, comino, beef, pork, etc._never thought to cook those things together? Frankly, sir, I find it about as believable that Texans invented chili as I do that Russians invented baseball.

It’s generally agreed – I’ve never encountered even the slightest dissent on the point – that chili con carne was invented in Texas. And almost certainly in San Antonio, TX. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_con_carne#Origins_and_history There is controversy over exactly when it was invented, and by whom, and why and how, but not where.

[Duke_of_Rat]

@Scumpup

Chili was invented in Texas? So, you are saying that Mexicans_who had long been using chili peppers, comino, beef, pork, etc._never thought to cook those things together? Frankly, sir, I find it about as believable that Texans invented chili as I do that Russians invented baseball.

Tis a shame. Had you taken the time to click the link in that post, the very first sentence reads

The only thing certain about the origins of chili is that it did not originate in Mexico.

It goes into more depth, as did another link to the history of chili.

Can’t help that you don’t believe it.

[UncleRojelio]

@rockle

I’ve never heard of it. But it sounds wonderful. Of course, I’m supernaturally fond of Fritos, so.

Hie thee to a Sonic Burger and rejoice!

[rockle]

@UncleRojelio

Hie thee to a Sonic Burger and rejoice!

Let me tell you why Pennsylvania sucks, sometimes: there is NOT ONE Sonic in the entire state. NOT ONE. However, we do have Fuddrucker’s, and they used to have a hamburger that had Fritos in it. Not the same thing, though.

[lieu]

@rockle

My husband is Mexican. He doesn’t eat chili unless it has pinto beans and corn in it. Does that count for anything?

I make three kinds of chili and one of 'em has corn in it. While I understand a purist hesitating to call that chili, dang if a chihuahua won’t break a #4 chain trying to get to it.

[Duke_of_Rat]

I like to put chili into cornbread batter and bake it right into the cornbread. I don’t call it chili when it comes out of the oven. I also like to put a square of cheese into the center of cornbread muffins.

Chili is chili. I don’t see why you can’t have chili with beans, chili with corn, chili with watermellon if that’s what you like. It all starts off as chili.

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@Scumpup

Chili was invented in Texas? So, you are saying that Mexicans_who had long been using chili peppers, comino, beef, pork, etc._never thought to cook those things together? Frankly, sir, I find it about as believable that Texans invented chili as I do that Russians invented baseball.

Oh, you make me laugh.

I guess you couldn’t bother to read the link The Duke of Rat provided, huh? If you had you would have read this:

If there is any doubt about what the Mexicans think about chili, the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959, defines chili con carne as (roughly translated):

“detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York.”

Then of course why would anyone on these boards be interested in learning something new?

[Scumpup]

@Kolak of Twilo

Oh, you make me laugh.

I guess you couldn’t bother to read the link The Duke of Rat provided, huh? If you had you would have read this:

Then of course why would anyone on these boards be interested in learning something new?

It is oft said on these boards that Wiki is not the most trustworthy of sources. My own opinion is that thoughTexans may wish to claim a stew of meat an peppers as something they were the first ones to ever cook, it is unlikely to be the case.

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@Scumpup

It is oft said on these boards that Wiki is not the most trustworthy of sources. My own opinion is that thoughTexans may wish to claim a stew of meat an peppers as something they were the first ones to ever cook, it is unlikely to be the case.

OMG! You are a comedian, right?

It is obvious you didn’t look at either link.

Not the one I referred to.

Not the one **Duke of Rat ** provided.

How do I know? Easy. Neither one is from Wikipedia.

C’mon lil’ Scumpup. Open your mind and read something that might conflict with what you already think is correct. It won’t hurt all that much.

[pulykamell]

@Kolak of Twilo

OMG! You are a comedian, right?

It is obvious you didn’t look at either link.

Not the one I referred to.

Not the one **Duke of Rat ** provided.

How do I know? Easy. Neither one is from Wikipedia.

C’mon lil’ Scumpup. Open your mind and read something that might conflict with what you already think is correct. It won’t hurt all that much.

Well, although I agree with much of your posts here, I’m not completely convinced yet that chili is distinctly Mexican. The only reason I have doubt is that there’s a dish called “Carne con chile colorado” (Meat with red chiles) that I’ve seen in various Mexican cookbooks (Zarela Martinez’s “Food From My Heart” comes to mind). It is very similar to chili con carne, with cumin, hot peppers, and meat all stewed together. No beans. No tomatoes.

However, I do not know if carne con chile colorado is simply chili con carne finding its way back down to Mexico. I don’t have time right now to Google all this, but maybe some intrepid soul will be able to tell us whether carne con chile is part of traditional Mexican cuisine or simply contemporary Mexican cuisine.

[pulykamell]

@pulykamell

Well, although I agree with much of your posts here, I’m not completely convinced yet that chili is distinctly Mexican

“Distinctly Texan,” I mean. It seems that “Carne con chile colorado” is indigenous to Sonora, from what I can dig up, and may, in fact, predate Texas chili.

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@pulykamell

“Distinctly Texan,” I mean. It seems that “Carne con chile colorado” is indigenous to Sonora, from what I can dig up, and may, in fact, predate Texas chili.

I won’t claim that there is any real way of knowing who actually invented chili. The closest I would get is to say it is distinctly Southwestern in origin rather than Texan. Honestly I would be suprised if there isn’t a Mexican dish similar to chili. I’m more interested in the no-bean issue rather than whether it orginated in Texas.

I also recall one of those links above making reference to Canary Islanders in San Antonio having something to do with the early development of the dish we know today as chili. So that takes it in a different direction.

And I do prefer the variety known as Texas-style chili.

That being said - I simply find it amusing how worked up people like Scumpup get without actually reading the linked articles. My comment about him being a comedian was about how obvious it was that he hadn’t read them. He assumed they were Wiki articles and on that basis dismissed anything they had to say, sight unseen.

[Khadaji]

I hate beans. I eat around them. So for me: No.

[Agnostic_Pagan]

@Odinoneeye

When people tell me that real chili has no tomatoes, my reply is, “Maybe, but real good chili does.”

Exactly. (Like I’m gonna argue with Odinoneye - he’ll send Thor, or worse, Loki after my ass.)

@adam yax

It has always been my impression that beans were cheap filler for chili. You make it with meat - and if the budget is kinda tight you stretch the chili by adding beans.

That’s my understanding also. My mom is Tex-Mex, and always added pinto beans. And tomatoes. She knew what ‘real’ chili was, but always made the ‘real good’ chili.

@lonesome loser

Not only do I put beans in my chili.

But I put celery too.

So there.

You are hereby banned from using the word chili. (me loves celery, but in chili?!?!?!)

@silenus

Is there anyplace in the US that didn’t have Frito Pie? I, too, remember it fondly at Little League games and local fairs.

We called 'em just plain ole chili bags. Lunch size Fritos in the foil bag, add chili, cheese and onions. MmmmmmHmmmmm. Six happy kids dancing in the kitchen, and a whole lot less dishes to wash that night. One of mom’s ‘I dont feel like cooking tonight’ staples.

And finally, it ain’t chili if there is no cornbread on the side (made in a cast iron skillet).
AP

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@Agnostic Pagan

And finally, it ain’t chili if there is no cornbread on the side (made in a cast iron skillet).
AP

You’d have to be slower than molasses on a morning in January to ever argue 'bout cornbread.

[Chefguy]

@Kolak of Twilo

I’m getting the feeling some people dismiss what is referred to as “Texas-style chili” because of distaste for Texas and/or Texans.

Well…duh.

As far as Texans being the arbiter of good taste, I think it should be obvious that chili has been made in the Southwestern U.S. for a longer period of time than in other parts of the country. Doesn’t it seem possible that people living in that region for generations might have a little better idea of what has historically been in the dish?

If you look at the link I provided above you will see a couple of chili recipes that are pretty old. One of them is from the late 1800’s. No beans are in the recipe. This appears to be more or less the case throughout the southwest.

Obviously, this argument is never going to be settled in anything like a definite way. Fine, you want beans in your chili go ahead and put them in. But I do think there is a strong argument to be made that 150 years ago most chili apparently did not have beans in it.

Well, see, now here we have the old ‘intelligent design’ versus ‘evolution’ argument. Chili may have been invented in Texas, but it’s now evolved into a higher lifeform. Texas being what it is, and Texans being what they are, intelligent design is just, well, out of the realm of reality. I mean, c’mon. Chili has finally crawled out of the slime, muck, and primordial tasteless ooze that was Texas chili and become a gloriously beany, thinking, modern chiliness. History, shmistory, pal.

[Odinoneeye]

@pulykamell

No they’re not, but good chili has both. Then again, it depends on your tolerance for heat. The chili may have been beyond your heat tolerance and the flavor may have been lost on you. This is not a criticism of you, just that one man’s spicy is another man’s mild.

Nope, it wasn’t too hot. It just didn’t have any flavor. That’s why I say real chili may not have tomatoes, but real good chili does. That’s where the flavor comes from.