How Chile Con Carne Won the West
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 12/23/13
Ever wondered how chiles con carne got it name?
The official chile of Texas named in 1997 is the Chiltepin, also known as the "mother of all peppers". Although it is hotter than the habanero pepper, the most popular pepper widely used in foods is the jalapeno. The jalapeno has many uses other than seasoning. It is the rave in nachos, can be easily grown in small pots and canned as special gifts. "Con carne", means with meat. So chiles con carne is chiles with meat. But in the early frontier, chile was the answer to poor mans game.
Although the dominate foods of early settlers consisted of pork and corn, beef and chicken didn't come until later. Cornbread, tortillas and hominy were served with pork. All meals consisted of pork. Vegetables were an unlikely source because of human waste mixing with the soil. The new frontier was treacherous and meal times were to fuel energy not as social gatherings. ("Engines of our Ingenuity", University of Houston).
As missions established strong settlements along the camino real, better meat was imported. However, priests and military officers received the bulk of the better meals. Christianized Indians and soldiers ate deer or goat meat which were tough and unpleasant in taste. The solution was to tenderize the meat and kill the bad taste. Stewing the meat with available spices such as the native chilies, oregano and garlic lasted for hours but it offered a delectable dish.
It is said that in the 1880s, the first commercial bowl of chili was served in downtown San Antonio by an attractive Hispanic female better known as a "Chili Queen". For a nickel, a bowl of chili was ladled out of a cast-iron pot from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. ("The National Dish of Texas", CF Eckhardt).
Today, only the best chili is homemade. But head out to any Texas chili cook-off and taste various creative versions. From subtle to fire cracker hot, the saucier the better.
Follow the chili road; contact these local chambers; time and event is subject to change:
- Dec 7, 2013-Pasadena TX Toys for Tots Held at 3919 Pansey Street Pasadena, TX. Benefits Moose Lodge 1721 Toys for Tots.
- Dec 14, 2013- Magnolia TX Contact Magnolia Chamber Of Commerce's Magnolia Chamber Of Commerce.
- Jan 4, 2014- Bastrop TX American Legion 533 CCO Chili Cook Off at American Legion Hall located at 3003 Loop 150 East, Bastrop, Texas, across from the Golf Course.
- Jan 4, 2014- - Katy TX 15th Annual Uncle Ronnie's CCO Held at Katy Elks Lodge, 1050 Katy-Fort Bend Rd. Katy, TX
- Jan 11, 2014-- Montgomery TX Wolfie's Lake Conroe Annual Winter Wolfie's Restaurant and Sports Bar on Lake Conroe 14954 State Highway 105 W. Montgomery Texas 77356.
- Jan 18, 2014 - Houston TX CY-Falls Project Prom 2014 CCO Held at Traders Village 7979 N. Eldridge Rd. Houston, TX 77041.
- Jan 18, 2014- College Station TX . Iron Horses Chili Cook-Off Held at the Independence Harley- Davidson, 4101 State Hwy 6 South, College Station, TX 77845. Exit Barron Road on Texas Hwy 6, IH-D is on the feeder.
- Jan 18, 2014 - Columbus TX Knights of Columbus Council 2971 Held at 3845 I-10 W, Columbus, TX 78934.
- Jan 24, 2014-001 - Terlingua TX High Sierra Bar & Grill 3rd Annual Chili cookoff & Ghostown BBQ Challenge. Held at 100 Ghostown Road Highway 170 Terlingua, TX.
