Chili Traditions and Regional Variations

[Kim Shook]

On 12/30/2022 at 10:25 PM, gfweb said:

Cincinnati chili is an aberration/abomination. Cinnamon, raw onion, spaghetti, grated cheese.

Barf-worthy

Cincinnati chili is ambrosia!  I'm sorry that your palate can't appreciate it, but it is truly lovely. Yet another culinary gift from immigrants to our country.  

[Kim Shook]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:07 PM, heidih said:

Somebody here - maybe @Shelbyor @Kim Shook mentioned a sweet roll with chii or soethng similar.  Not in y experience but???

Not chili (at least that I can remember), but very common with BBQ ribs in some places.  Or fried chicken.  I've always wondered if it connected in some way to chicken and waffles - same flavor profiles.  

[Margaret Pilgrim]

4 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Cincinnati chili is ambrosia!  I'm sorry that your palate can't appreciate it, but it is truly lovely. Yet another culinary gift from immigrants to our country.  

 

In my palate imagination, these spices and the chocolate can meld into a mole spectrum.    It should work. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

11 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Cincinnati chili is ambrosia!  I'm sorry that your palate can't appreciate it, but it is truly lovely. Yet another culinary gift from immigrants to our country.  

 

Emigrants from Pennsylvania?

 

[Kim Shook]

9 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Emigrants from Pennsylvania?

 

?????   Cincinnati chili was invented by immigrants to Ohio from Greece.  

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Emigrants from Pennsylvania?

 

Hell no

[gfweb]

50 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

?????   Cincinnati chili was invented by immigrants to Ohio from Greece.  

Thought it was Lebanon.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

24 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Thought it was Lebanon.

 

I've never tasted Cincinnati chili, but speaking seriously I would love to know the origin.

 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

?????   Cincinnati chili was invented by immigrants to Ohio from Greece.  

Aligning with tthe famous Greek Diners kind of

 

4 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I've never tasted Cincinnati chili, but speaking seriously I would love to know the origin.

 

 Wiki says https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_chili

[FeChef]

11 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I've never tasted Cincinnati chili, but speaking seriously I would love to know the origin.

 

Somebody made spaghetti, was going to add ground beef, realized they had tons of left over chili, and decided to add the chili instead of ground beef.

Edited January 2, 2023 by FeChef (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

33 minutes ago, heidih said:

Aligning with tthe famous Greek Diners kind of

 

 Wiki says https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_chili

 

Five way, please.

 

[kayb]

On 12/31/2022 at 11:21 AM, chileheadmike said:

Sounds odd, and only the people who grew up in KC were aware of this. It was a highlight for us kids. 

 

Beg to differ. In West Tennessee and Eastern Arkansas, chili with cinnamon rolls is a mainstay of the school lunch menu. Served with crackers. Cinnamon rolls for dessert. Massive, fluffy, yeasty cinnamon rolls, covered in a confectioner's sugar glaze. Damn things were the size of an infant's head.

 

Several school booster clubs have annual fundraising dinners (generally pre-football games) featuring chili and cinnamon rolls, and sell boxes of cinnamon rolls.

 

 

[Anna N]

41 minutes ago, kayb said:

Cinnamon rolls for dessert.

So chili, con carne with crackers and cinnamon rolls for dessert doesn’t sound particularly weird. 

[lemniscate]

One of my memorable travel meals was a bowl of Chile Colorado and a small pile cinnamon bunuelos in Taos on a cold, cold, windy day.  SW version of chili and cinnamon bun.

[SLB]

I agree that a cinnamon bun as a dessert -- and not as the starch-accompaniment -- does not sound unpleasant.  

 

Meanwhile, I am making @JAZ's chili con carne right now.  And I went to put away the stuff, and realized that I used caraway seeds instead of cumin.  

 

People I don't really love caraway.  I like it in rye bread, alright.  The bag is dated 2013, which is back when I was baking bread.   

 

I am not happy about this.  At all. 

 

And -- obviously I still have covid-nose.

[Anna N]

25 minutes ago, SLB said:

The bag is dated 2013, which is back when I was baking bread.   

Hope you added them to the compost pile.  

[DesertTinker]

31 minutes ago, SLB said:

I agree that a cinnamon bun as a dessert -- and not as the starch-accompaniment -- does not sound unpleasant.  

 

Meanwhile, I am making @JAZ's chili con carne right now.  And I went to put away the stuff, and realized that I used caraway seeds instead of cumin.  

 

People I don't really love caraway.  I like it in rye bread, alright.  The bag is dated 2013, which is back when I was baking bread.   

 

I am not happy about this.  At all. 

 

And -- obviously I still have covid-nose.

Oops! Hopefully it will work for you, at least this one time.

[Dave the Cook]

2 hours ago, SLB said:

I agree that a cinnamon bun as a dessert -- and not as the starch-accompaniment -- does not sound unpleasant.  

 

Meanwhile, I am making @JAZ's chili con carne right now.  And I went to put away the stuff, and realized that I used caraway seeds instead of cumin.  

 

People I don't really love caraway.  I like it in rye bread, alright.  The bag is dated 2013, which is back when I was baking bread.   

 

I am not happy about this.  At all. 

 

And -- obviously I still have covid-nose.

 

I did this once. My colleagues in Switzerland wanted to taste a "real" American chili. So my host and I exchanged lists of ingredients, including this fateful declaration: "oh, we have cumin! Seeds. right?" So I paid extra baggage fees to cart canned beans and tomatoes and dried chiles across the Atlantic. On a festive Sunday night, I spent the better part of a beautiful Alpine afternoon to put together a chili using very expensive Swiss beef, without telling everyone what I was doing. In Switzerland, anyway, "cumin' and "caraway" are the same thing. They look very similar in their seed form, so I didn't know what was wrong until it was way too late. When the dish was finally served, I was complimented effusively on my take on goulash. The beans were a nice touch.    

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, SLB said:

I agree that a cinnamon bun as a dessert -- and not as the starch-accompaniment -- does not sound unpleasant.  

 

Meanwhile, I am making @JAZ's chili con carne right now.  And I went to put away the stuff, and realized that I used caraway seeds instead of cumin.  

 

People I don't really love caraway.  I like it in rye bread, alright.  The bag is dated 2013, which is back when I was baking bread.   

 

I am not happy about this.  At all. 

 

And -- obviously I still have covid-nose.

 

On the bright side then it probably won't matter.

 

[chileheadmike]

16 hours ago, kayb said:

 

Beg to differ. In West Tennessee and Eastern Arkansas, chili with cinnamon rolls is a mainstay of the school lunch menu. Served with crackers. Cinnamon rolls for dessert. Massive, fluffy, yeasty cinnamon rolls, covered in a confectioner's sugar glaze. Damn things were the size of an infant's head.

 

Several school booster clubs have annual fundraising dinners (generally pre-football games) featuring chili and cinnamon rolls, and sell boxes of cinnamon rolls.

 

 

Thanks, I thought I was going crazy.  So, KC area and West Tenn/East Ark areas. I think there must be more but the reaction on the sports board was similar to the one here. 

[Kim Shook]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:40 PM, gfweb said:

Thought it was Lebanon.

Skyline Chili was founded by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides.   Camp Washington Chili Parlor was opened by another Greek immigrant, Johnny Johnson.  The oldest chili parlor in Cincinnati is Empress and it was opened by a couple of Macedonian (Greek) brothers.  

[chileheadmike]

16 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Skyline Chili was founded by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides.   Camp Washington Chili Parlor was opened by another Greek immigrant, Johnny Johnson.  The oldest chili parlor in Cincinnati is Empress and it was opened by a couple of Macedonian (Greek) brothers.  

We have a Skyline and a Goldstar here in Lexington. I have yet to try either. Doesn't seem right. 

 

And yes, I'm aware of my cinnamon roll post upthread. 

[Kim Shook]

22 hours ago, chileheadmike said:

We have a Skyline and a Goldstar here in Lexington. I have yet to try either. Doesn't seem right. 

 

And yes, I'm aware of my cinnamon roll post upthread. 

A lot of people are "stuck" in how they define "chili".  I love all kinds of chili, as long as it isn't too spicy.  Same for BBQ.  So many Texas BBQ folks distain NC BBQ - heck, Western NC and Eastern NC folks look down their noses at each other!  I would gladly try it, but I admit no-bean chili seems weird to me - like eating spaghetti sauce with no pasta 😁.  Of course, those Texans are sneaky.  They'll holler "NO BEANS IN MY CHILI" and then dump a spoonful of beans on the side and scootch them onto the same spoon 😄.