Chili is featured at competitions and cook offs across the United States.
Chili is a popular dish that has deep roots in America's culinary history. Chili lovers across the United States show their love for the dish by ever so slightly altering the recipe to create what they believe is the best chili dish there is. Chili is so loved that it is a staple dish at cook offs and competitions. While the types of chili vary from recipe to recipe, the main ingredients of chili in its pure form usually don't change, making it an easily recognizable dish.
Instructions
1. Identify the basic ingredients. For chili to be chili in its most basic and purest form, according to chili purists, it should contain two staple ingredients--meat or beef of some type and red chili powder--along with spices such as cumin, garlic, and salt.
2. Identify the flavors, texture, and taste. Pure chili has a distinct flavor and taste due to the spices that it is made with. Taste the chili and note the spices and flavors such as garlic, different chiles, such as red chiles, serrano chiles, and ancho chiles, onion, cumin, and salt. The chili should have a thick consistency and texture different from typical soups and more like a stew.
3. Note the toppings and presentation of chili. Chili isn't just served in a bowl, but it's served in many different ways based on the region of the United States in which it is eaten. It can be served in a dish topped with sour cream, cheese and onions, served with crackers, or served in a bread bowl. Chili is also used as a topping for hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, or served as a sandwich inside a roll or wrap. Cincinnati chili, for example, is served over pasta.
4. Be aware of the different types and variations of chili. While pure chili contains meat and chili peppers or powder, you will come across many different varieties labeled as chili that depart from the basic ingredients held to by chili purists. Such differences are often due to the different regions in which the dish is served. Different types of chili may have added ingredients, such as beans, different types of meat, no meat at all, rice, corn, peanut butter, tofu, corn, brown sugar, grains, tomato paste, and celery. For example, Cincinnati chili contains a unique combination of ingredients that depart from basic chili, including cocoa, chocolate, and cinnamon, while San Antonio chili contains pork shoulder and pork fat.
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