Accidental Hedonist - Beans or no Beans: Chili and Such

Beans or no Beans: Chili and Such

11/18/05 @ 06:00:00 am, by Kate Hopkins

2026 views • Categories: Chiles

If one is going to talk about Chile peppers, it's probably within the realm of good taste to talk about Chili.

Now I spent a great deal of my life believing that Chili was a stew of ground beef, tomato broth and beans. This is most assuredly due to the fact that I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, home of things most certainly not chili or chile related. Rolling Rock Beer? Yes! Primanti Brothers? Absolutely. Chile peppers? Eh, not so much.

But it could have been worse I suppose, where I could have grown up thinking that chili consists of beans, tomato sauce, and cinnamon over pasta.

That'd be Cincinnati chili by the way.

Chili con carne is almost assuredly a Texas creation, which I'll give them full credit for. It's not a Mexican dish as far as I've been able to discover. The basis of red chili comes down to meat, salt and dried chiles combined into a stew. It was a way to stretch meat for several days.

The question for me is whether pinto beans are part of the mix. Beans are a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine, but there are folks who state unequivocally that beans are not part of the chili experience. From the International Chili Society's Judging Criteria:

1. Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats,cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

2. Chili Verde is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with green chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

I don't know which is more amazing; the fact that the International Chili Society has such an aversion to beans, or the fact that there's an International Chili Society.

When you search for recipes on the web, it's apparent that beans are an integral part of the Chili experience for many, many people.

I still am the belief that one can put beans into their chili, but I have come to understand that chile peppers should also be part of the mix. I'm a quick learner that way.

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink, Chili, Chile Peppers, beans

Permalink • 13 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: nichole [Visitor] · http://www.madisonatoz.com/

I grew up where chili was stew meat, beans, vaguely "spicy" tomato broth, and, inexplicably, celery. Maybe that was just the house I grew up in.

So I feel like I've come a long way when I say Cincinnatti chili is a staple at my house now. It's not just cinnamon, though - I like making one a little like a mole sauce.

We sometimes pass on the noodles, and never add kidney beans on top (though I have been known to make a pot of chili-seasoned beans for vegetarian friends). Some 5- or 7-year cheddar on top (it's Wisconsin, after all) and yum.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 06:47

Comment from: Kate Hopkins [Member]

· http://www.accidentalhedonist.com

Ah, you Wisconsin folk...looking for a reason to put cheese on anything.

How I envy you! ;-)

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 07:12

Comment from: Nick [Visitor] · http://www.hotsauceblog.com

I've done 'em all - from Cincinnati to New Mexico - with and without beans. I'm on the fence on the bean issue, I like it both ways.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 08:17

Comment from: Barbara Fisher [Visitor] · http://www.tigerberries.blogspot.com

I like it both ways, beans or no beans, but I like it the tiniest bit better with beans.

And I don't always use hunks of beef in my chili. Sometimes it is chunks of lamb, goat, venison, bison, pork. You name it, I will put it in chili, eventually.

Even chocolate.

But I have to admit an utter aversion to Cincinnatti chili. It makes me shudder. I don't know why. I think it is the overcooked spaghetti thing. Or too much cinnamon, or the fact that I had really watery bad versions of it growing up with watery sauce, too much cinnamon and overcooked pasta.

But something about it--even the smell of it makes me quake.

About the only other foods that do that to me are plain boiled okra and brussels sprouts.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 09:02

Comment from: nichole [Visitor] · http://www.madisonatoz.com/

Ew, yeah, watery = awful.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 10:52

Comment from: Kim [Visitor] · http://www.soulknitting.blogspot.com

I have had the honor of being a 'chili judge' a few times. I must confess, I like chili to have beans in it. I've eaten a LOT of chili without beans. It just always seems to be missing something. Don't know about that Cincinnati Chile idea though.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 14:27

Comment from: alan [Visitor] · http://maona.net/

I've come across pretty passionate people in the beans v. no beans debate. Either work for me. If I'm looking to stretch the food budget, beans are definitely in there. If I'm looking to win a chili contest, I skip the beans and use cubes of chuck. (Maybe that's why I never win. Judges like Kim above like beans in there.)

As for "other ingredients": dark beer in place of water, and as many different types of chiles as I can get my hands on, both dried and fresh.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 15:14

Comment from: The Countess [Visitor] · http://trishwilson.typepad.com/blog

I'm from Maryland, and I grew up with beans in chili, which is the way I prefer it. I've had it with both pinto and red kidney beans. I love red kidney beans. To me, chili has to have beans in it or it isn't finished.

I've had traditional Mexican food in Tucson, Arizona, and I don't recall the chili having beans in it. It was spicer than chili I had at home. I liked the taste of that chili better, but I missed the beans. I guess chili has become a regional thing.

I happen to like beans anyway. I love a nice vegetable/red kidney bean soup.

Permalink 11/18/05 @ 16:49

Comment from: Nicholas Caratzas [Visitor]

The reason everybody says "Cincinnati chili isn't real chili" is because they're right -- it isn't. It's essentially a Greek stew called stifado with chili powder added.

I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition that this margin is too narrow to contain. Basically it comes down to boiled meat and vinegar.

I've never seen a history of Cincy Chili (not that I've spent my life looking) that points this out and I can't figure out if it's because the dish's roots are too obvious or too arcane.

Permalink 11/19/05 @ 14:46

Comment from: Barbara Fisher [Visitor] · http://www.tigerberries.blogspot.com

Nicolas--I have read that Cincy chili came from stifado--and that the originator was a Greek restauranteur.

However, I cannot remember where I read it.

I will go through my books and if I find something, I will either post it here or in my blog for you--but you are right, and yes--it does taste like some bastardized version of Greek food to me.

(That said, one might think I don't like Greek food. That isn't true--I love it, but Cincy chili isn't quite Greek enough for my taste.)

Permalink 11/20/05 @ 09:58

Comment from: mrhospitality [Visitor] · http://www.livejournal.com/users/mrhospitality/

Chili is a type of stew, and barebones stew is meat cooked in a flavorful liquid. But then, thats no fun, you have to jazz it up. I say, anything goes. If it feels good, do it, and if it tastes good, cook it. For me, beans add nutrition, texture, and flavor, and if you've never sampled a quality vegetarian black bean chili, you are missing out.
My typical chili is probably frowned upon by chili zealots, but its tasty and healthy. Its posted on my blog.
What about cornbread? Thats a whole other discussion worth opening up!

Permalink 11/20/05 @ 10:38

Comment from: Nicholas Caratzas [Visitor]

Barbara,

I will go through my books and if I find something, I will either post it here or in my blog for you
If you do track down that story its author deserves an "attaboy/attagirl!" Many articles describe Cincy Chili as being based on "a Greek stew," but stifado is pretty distinctive; enough so, that I think being more specific better informs readers familiar with one but not both dishes.

That said, one might think I don't like Greek food. That isn't true--I love it
Anybody overhearing my typical comments on Greek food would be conviced I despise it. Traditional Greek cuisine can break 21st-century U.S. rules of accepability pretty regularly but the end result usually works for me. Still I am frequently pleasantly surprised by how widespread its fans appear to be (and I'm not talking about people who "love Greek food" but whose knowledge is limited to gyros and cheeseburgers deluxe! :) )

Permalink 11/21/05 @ 21:53

Comment from: Steven B. [Visitor]

I find it great that there is such a passion behind chili. It truly is amazing how good chili can taste if you make it correctly. I have made a thousand pots of chili, and they all tasted different.
Some ingredients I use: beans, diced tomato, jalapeño, bourbon!, ground sirloin, Onion, BROWN SUGAR!, touch cinnamon, crushed red pepper, black pepper. Sometimes my wife makes me put celery in it.

Permalink 02/18/08 @ 09:44

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