In article > , "Peter
Aitken" > wrote:

> "Dan Abel" > wrote in message
> ...


> > As I have read and others here have posted, "authentic" chili doesn't have
> > any tomatoes in it, or beans. The red color comes from dried, ground red
> > chilis. Also, most people who make "authentic" chili don't use hamburger
> > either. I happen to like non-authentic chili made with hamburger,
> > tomatoes and beans.


> Chili has its origins as a dish of poor people, cowboys, and the like making
> do with what they had. The notion that there is one "authentic" way to make
> it is terminally silly and is just something the chili-heads have come up
> with so they can act smart telling people that tomatoes or beans or whatever
> is not "authentic." Do they really expect any semi-intelligent person to
> believe that in the whole history of the southwest, no grandma or chuck
> wagon cook ever made a meat stew flavored with chilis and put beans and/or
> tomatoes in it?


People put all sorts of things in everything. I'm cool with that. I just
like to know what is considered "authentic", partly just to know and
partly for historical purposes.


Like most people who grew up in other areas (I'm from the northwest of the
US), chili was made with hamburger, tomatoes, beans and chili powder mix
from the store. I've made "authentic" chili exactly once, and that's
enough.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS