Chili Queens

If you love chili, you know this tasty dish can be made in a variety of ways.

From the secret family recipe to the competitive chili cookoff, a great bowl of chili is a personal reflection of who you are!

When you make a bowl of chili, you make it your way from mild to hot, with different types of peppers, meats, spices, and even beans and noodles in some versions.

But where and when did this scrumptious dish first come into existence?

There are many myths and tall tales when it comes to the origins of chili.

One popular tale tells of a Spanish nun, Sister Mary of Agreda who supernaturally appeared to Native Americans in the early 1600s and returned with the first recipe for chili: chili peppers, venison (deer meat), onions, and tomatoes.

Another old legend holds that immigrants from the Canary Islands brought a recipe for chili with them when they settled San Antonio in the early 1700s.

In 1529, the Franciscan friar, Bernardino de Sahagún described chili pepper-seasoned stews being consumed in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan (now the Mexico City).

The use of beef as the primary meat originated with Spanish colonizers.

In Spanish, the term “chile con carne”, consists of the word chile (from the Nahuatl chīlli) and carne which is Spanish for meat was first recorded in a book from 1857 about the Mexican-American War.

Chili then became commonly prepared in northern Mexico and southern Texas.

Unlike some other Texas foods, chili largely originated with working-class Tejana and Mexican women.

These “chili queens” of San Antonio, Texas were particularly famous for selling their inexpensive chili-flavored beef stew in their casual “chili joints”.

The San Antonio Chili Stand, in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped popularize chili by giving many Americans their first taste of it.

San Antonio was a tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West.

Chili con carne is now the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas!

And the modern dish we know as chili (a.k.a. chili con carne) has its roots in the American West but can be enjoyed in a variety of countries around the world.

If you have that special recipe and are looking to add that flavour forward secret ingredient, add a tablespoon or two of ZEG Sauces to your chili mix for another delicious layer of flavour!

Your local Lococo’s has a great sale on Lean Ground Beef for $3.49 / lb. which will go perfect with any chili con carne recipe.

Now you have that secret ingredient with ZEG Sauces that will take your chili to another level! Enjoy!

🥣 ZEG sauces are a multiple use condiment sauce that can be used on any food around the world.
🥣 You can use ZEG sauces for basting, marinating, spreading, as a side dipping sauce, or dressing) the options are unlimited.
🥣 Use ZEG sauces on everything from chicken, pork, and beef to vegetables, rice, and tofu.