Research


 * ORGINS OF CHILI:**

General consensus dates its beginnings to the mid-1800s with Texas trail cooks who had to feed hungry cowboys on long trail drives, using whatever ingredients were on hand. That often meant beef (or buffalo, venison, or rattlesnake), chiles, and wild garlic, onion, and herbs. Inventive cooks discovered they could make nonperishable trail food by pounding together dried beef, fat, chile peppers, and salt. These "chili bricks" could be soaked in water during the day, and by dinnertime they could be boiled in water with garlic and cumin to make a hearty stew.

Another account claims that chili was invented around 1880 in San Antonio by "Chili Queens" - women primarily of Mexican descent who sold stew made with dried chiles and beef from open-air stalls and colorful chili wagons in the city's military plaza. The Chili Queens remained an attraction in San Antonio until the early 1940s.

The status of chili was elevated in the early 1960s when Chasen's Restaurant in Beverly Hills began making its famous chili. Actors, actresses, and other celebrities craved their secret concoction. It was reported that Elizabeth Taylor had some shipped to her in Rome while filming the movie Cleopatra.


 * VARIETIES OF CHILI:**

Verde Chili, White Chili, Spicy Chili, Chicken Chili, Traditional Chili, Beef Chili, Chili Con Carne, Vegetarian Chili

A cooking competition where you prepare a variety of chili based dishes and present it to a panel of judges. It is a social event where the competitors create interestign and unique chili meals and submit them for taste testing. Most of the Chili Cook Offs take place in Texas.
 * WHAT IS A CHILI COOK OFF:**