It’s National Chili Day!
And today is a perfect day here in the upper Willamette Valley to celebrate this spicy dish. It’s cold and snowy and this warming dish fits the weather.
But where did chili come from? Chili history has some colorful ideas, like the one of the Spanish nun in the 1600s that left her body to cross the Atlantic and preach Christianity to the North American Natives. She claims to have brought the first recipe back with her on one of these trips. But a more likely history goes back to 1828 when writer J.C. Klopp wrote about his visit to San Antonio. He noted that the people were poor and had to stretch their meats. They did so by chopping it “into hash” and mixing it with “as many peppers as there were pieces of meat”.
The 1880s brought the first stand that sold “bowls o’red”. The roaring twenties and the great depression brought more popularity to the dish. President Johnson loved the dish, but insisted only the true Texan concoction could be called chili.
And now, in the 21st century, we have so many different kinds of this hot meat stew that no matter what your taste preferences are, there is a chili to celebrate!
Oh, and the first chili cook off took place in Terlinda, Texas in 1967 – so here are some ideas for you to plan your own cook-off! I started the list and hope you will add your own recipes as well!
Thanks for the opportunity Helen!
Thanks for stopping by Marilyn!
Yum. There are several delicious looking options here.
I love chili – especially on a cold winter day! Thanks for stopping by!
There really is a day for everything…Thank you for sharing this collection of great recipes at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!
Thanks Teresa!! And thanks for stopping by!
Helen, this post has me craving chili! This week, for sure.
LOL – Me too!!
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #WWBlogHop this week. Visit me at https://www.marilynstreats.com on Tuesday evening to see your feature! All hosts choose their own features from the comments left on their blog so be sure to stop by and see your feaure. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please be sure to leave your link number or post title so we can be sure to visit!
Thanks Marilyn!! I’m honored
Pingback: Easy Rosemary-Cheese Bread - The Lazy GastronomeThe Lazy Gastronome