Conference turris::cooks

1594.0. "Chili Historical Information" by MIGHTY::BLANCHARD () Wed Jan 18 1989 12:36

                 <<< 2B::NOTES1:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CHILI.NOTE;1 >>>
                                  -< Chili! >-
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Note 61.0                    Chili is NOT a pepper!                      1 reply
MIGHTY::BLANCHARD                                    53 lines  15-DEC-1988 13:23
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    	QUOTE FROM THE CASADOS FARMS FLYER IN NOTE 60.0:
    
    	Foods from New Mexico closely parallel dishes found in Mexico.
    Most Mexican cooking is essentially Indian in origin.  In fact,
    many foods can be traced back 4,000 years to the ancient Inca Indians
    of Peru.  Aztecs and Mayans learned of the Inca foods, brought
    them north, and eventually they reached New Mexico.  Today's Mexican
    cooking has also been heavily influenced by Spanish and Anglo tastes.
    	Columbus was the first European to try chile, after finding
    it in the West Indies in 1493.  Because of its strong pungent flavor,
    Columbus called the plant "pepper", although the two plants are
    not related.  Chile, an Aztec word, is a memeber of the nightshade
    family and related to tomatoes and potatoes, also Native American
    foods.
    	In the early 1500's the Spanish conquistadors conquered most
    of the Americas.  By 1600, the Spanish were well established in
    New Mexico.  With them, they brought a love for tangy East Indian
    spices, especially chile.  The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico were
    using ground red chile to season their food, but the Spanish found
    the Pueblo chile to be less pungent than they were used to.  The
    two varieties were mixed together and a new strain of chile developed
    that was both spicy and flavorful.  This chile soon spread throughtout
    the Southwest.   
    	The short growing season found in northern New Mexico prohibits
    drying vegetables on the vine.  To overcome this, the natives devised
    a method of tying the chile pods together by the stems.  The chile
    strings were called "RISTRAS" and were then hung out in the sun
    to dry.  Traditionally, ristras vary in length from 18 inches to
    five feet.  This natural drying process adds to the flavor of the
    chile.  Pods removed from the ristras are crumbled or ground and
    then used in cooking.  Visitors to New Mexico saw ristras hanging
    outside adobe houses and quickly created a demand for the decorative,
    yet functional, items.
    	The Unique flavor of chile comes from capsaicin, a powerful
    compound found in the flesh and clear white seeds. Rich in Vitamin
    C, chile has been used for centuries as a cold remedy.  As a seasoning,
    chili can add zest to any dish.  Chile - a delightful way to stimulate
    the appetite.
    	Welcome to the distinctive cooking of New Mexico.  Enchantment
    in a spicy package from the "Land of Enchantment"
    
    (end quote)
    
    Now I know why the Italians and Irish like chili so  much, it is
    related to the Potato and Tomatoe!  After all this I could use a
    nice hot bowl right now, I hope you enjoyed this.  Does anyone else
    have any interesting "chili" history?
    
    
    					Dennis Blanchard
    
    					Merrimack, N.H.