How Did Chili Become the State Dish of Texas? And How to Enjoy It with Wine! (2024)

Some historians cite Texas as the birthplace of chili con carne (chili with meat), the official state dish of Texas as designated by the legislature in 1977. Texans celebrate chili in grand style at the famous Terlingua International Chili Cook-off in far west Texas (57^th annual scheduled in 2024). The most heated issue over chili in Texas is whether it should contain beans. We can hold that discussion until later, but the key issues here are: How did chili come to Texas? And who can take credit?

There are different schools of thought in terms of where chili originated and how it became so popular in Texas. Some say chili originated in the American Southwest, others believe it has roots in Mexico, while connections can also be made to Spain. No matter its actual origins, chili has become a staple of American cuisine and is enjoyed by people from all walks of life, especially in Texas. There are endless variations of chili, but the common denominator is that it be hearty, filling, and delicious.

People in the Americas have farmed chile peppers for over 10,000 years, but these peppers were unknown in Europe until Spanish explorers visited the New World and carried them back in the 1500s-1600s. Peppers became as precious as spices imported from China and India.

A legend from the 1700s relates to a Spanish nun who received a recipe from the Jumano tribe in West Texas that described a stew with venison, chile peppers, tomatoes, and onions. This recipe was most likely carried back to Europe by a Spanish explorer who visited with the nun and brought her some chile peppers.

Immigrants from the Canary Islands, then a territory of Spain, were brought to San Antonio in 1731 to build a stronger Spanish presence in Texas and counter the French movement from spreading west of Louisiana. Chili resembles Canary Island cooking in its use of peppers and dried cumin.

In many parts of the world, a chili-like stew that typically contains beans, tomatoes, and a variety of spices is common, especially when meat is unavailable. Consider the Indian nations of the American West who typically kept a pot with various ingredients stewing over the fire. When hunting was successful, meat was added to the pot. However, when times were difficult, whatever veggies and other edibles could be scrounged were the stew ingredients. Perhaps one could muse that vegetarian chili was created by poor or unlucky hunters. LOL

Vegetarian options have become commonplace in most types of cuisine, so, it is not surprising that vegetarian chili has become popular. The objective in building a vegetarian chili is to provide enough sturdy veggies to match the texture of meat and get enough spices into the blend to create a bold palate-pleasing sensation.

Chicken chili has also become popular as people tend to eat less beef. A simple chicken-based chili using meat pulled from a grocery market rotisserie chicken can be enhanced by addition of white beans or hominy. A good way to use leftover holiday turkey is to make turkey chili with black beans flavored with crushed tomatoes and chili spices.

Wine with Chili

When it comes to pairing chili with wine, consider vegetarian or chicken chili as hearty stews. If the stew is not too spicy hot, consider big, rich white wines like Texas Roussanne and Viognier that have undergone malolactic transformation. If the stew is spicier, a bit of sweetness in the wine can help. Consider a rosé, even a Pét-Nat rosé, with some residual sugar in the 1-2% range. A lot of blended or varietal white wines, often those containing Muscat, Riesling, or Gewürztraminer, also carry a similar dose of residual sugar.

As for red wines with hearty stews, look for lighter bodied, fruit-driven versions like Counoise, Cinsault, and lighter versions of Sangiovese, Tempranillo, or Mourvèdre. Red wines that carry a bit of residual sugar can also pair well with a spicier version of chili (stew). Many such wines can be found in tasting rooms across the Lone Star State.

It should be noted that these wine recommendations also work for chili con carne – considering versions with less or more chili pepper spice. Once beef has been included in the recipe, consider what you would serve with good BBQ. Options like Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Petite Sirah, bolder versions of Mourvèdre and Tempranillo, and Rhône red blends (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) certainly come into play. Just think – what would you take to a BOYB BBQ joint.

What we know as Texas red chili calls on red chile peppers (like ancho, guajillo, and spicier cayenne peppers) for its signature heat and reddish color. An early description of chili comes from an 1828 traveler’s journal who visited San Antonio and described “a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat – this is all stewed together.”

Everette Lee DeGolyer, a Dallas chili connoisseur, suggests that chili became popular campfire fare among cowboys on cattle trails and gold-seekers (called forty-niners) on their way to California. A forty-niner journal reference describes beef being mixed and pounded with lard, peppers, and salt to preserve the meat for the long journey west. Portions of this mixture became an important part of trail meals – just tear off some meat mix, toss into a kettle of boiling water, add flour or cornmeal for thickening, and you have a satisfying and filling dish.

Cowboys were known to carry in their saddle bags “chili bricks” made of beef, fat, pepper, and salt. A part of this block plunged into boiling water transformed it into a convenient, filling meal. Texas Rangers were well known for their use of chili bricks when on the trail.

The history of Chili is full of great stories. Women who cooked and washed clothes as they traveled into Texas with the Mexican army in the 1830-1840s were known to use their large washing pots to cook a stew of venison or goat with chile peppers. Surely, they used lots of peppers to cover any flavors that washing shirts, socks, etc., may have added to the chili.

Mexican women in San Antonio, known as Chili Queens, cooked and sold chili at San Antonio’s Military Plaza as early as the 1860s. Soldiers, travelers, cattlemen, and others congregated at the Plaza and ordered chili, often with tamales or pinto beans and tortillas.

Chili was introduced to the Midwest via a San Antonio chili stand at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Soon chili parlors began cropping up all over the United States and regional variations developed. Cincinnati Chili was created in 1922 by Greek immigrants who opened the Empress Chili restaurant south of Cincinnati. Their inspiration was a Texas-style beef chili poured over spaghetti and topped with mounds of cheddar cheese.

Chili in New Mexico can differ from “Texas red” chili as it tends to have a green tint from the use of green Hatch chiles. Chili verde often contains pork or goat meat, rather than beef, with green chiles, onions, and tomatillos. Mexican chili verde can be found served tortilla chips or flour tortillas, basically a version of chili nachos.

The International Chili Society divides chili into four categories: traditional red, chili verde, homestyle chili, and veggie chili. According to International Chili Society criteria, traditional red chili con carne consists of meat, red chile peppers, and spices—no beans, rice, pasta, or other fillers, aside from vegetables.

In New Orleans, Texas-style chili is served with rice, similar to other dishes, like étouffée and gumbo, well-known in Cajun cuisine in southeast Texas and south Louisiana.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what makes the best chili. However, the common elements in Texas red chili include beef, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and spices like chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Ground beef, commonly used in home kitchens, chunks of meat cut from the bones, or shredded beef from cooked or BBQ’d meats, like brisket, are all popular choices in Texas. Chili is often served with shredded cheese and sour cream on top with cornbread or crackers as accompaniment.

If beans are used in chili, the most common are pinto beans which were and still are an important staple of the American West. Some prefer garbanzo beans or even black beans as they provide a different texture and flavor.

However, according to many Texans, and that includes this author, “Real Chili” does not contain beans. So, if you use or find beans in your chili, be aware that in Texas, it is most often politically correct to call such a dish a “meat and bean stew” rather than chili.

Information was adapted liberally from the following excellent references:

The Surprising (and Speculative) History of Chili by Mary Claire Lagroue, Updated on 27-Jan-2023. https://www.allrecipes.com/longform/history-of-chili/ Mary Claire Lagroue works as an associate commerce editor at Food & Wine.

The History Of Chili: Where Does This American Staple Really Come From? by Maria Jiméne, Nov 4, 2022, Spicy Food. https://greengoscantina.com/the-history-of-chili-where-does-this-american-staple-really-come-from Maria was born and raised in Mexico and has always had a passion for food.