Bulk chili powder for sale in Bolivia

Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili powder blend or chili seasoning mix).[1] It is used as a spice (or spice blend) to add pungency (piquancy) and flavor to culinary dishes. In American English, the spelling is usually "chili"; in British English, "chilli" (with two "l"s) is used consistently.

Chili powder is used in many different cuisines, including American (particularly Tex-Mex), Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Korean, Mexican, Portuguese, and Thai. A chili powder blend is the primary flavor in American chili con carne.[1]

Varieties

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Chili powder is sometimes known by the specific type of chili pepper used. Varieties of chili peppers used to make chili powder include Aleppo, ancho, cayenne, chipotle, chile de árbol, jalapeño, New Mexico, pasilla, and piri piri chili peppers. Gochugaru is a variety used in Korean cuisine traditionally made from sun-dried Korean red chili peppers known as taeyang-cho, with spicier varieties using Cheongyang peppers.[2] Kashmiri chili powder is bright red, but mild in heat and used in Indian cuisine, named after the region of Kashmir.

Traceability of unknown chili powders can be detected by using spectrophotometry methods. Studies had found that origin of chili powders can be detected by analysing the trace elements in the chili powder.[3][4]

Blends

Chili powder blends are composed chiefly of chili peppers and blended with other spices including cumin, onion, garlic powder, and sometimes salt.[5][6] The chilis are most commonly red chili peppers; "hot" varieties usually also include cayenne pepper. As a result of the varying recipes used, the spiciness of any given chili powder is variable.

The first commercial blends of chili powder in the U.S. were created by D.C. Pendery and William Gebhardt for chili con carne.[7] Gebhardt opened Miller's Saloon in New Braunfels, Texas. Chili was the town's favorite dish. However, chili peppers could only be found at certain times of the year. Gebhardt imported some ancho peppers from Mexico and ran the peppers through a small meat grinder three times and created the first commercial chili powder in 1894.[8]

Chili in food

Chili powder is very commonly seen in traditional Latin American and Asian cuisine. It is used in soups, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, curries and meat.[9]

Chili can also be found in sauces and curry bases, such as chili con carne. Chili sauce can be used to marinate and season things such as meat.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Farrell, K.T. (1998). Spices, Condiments and Seasonings. Chapman & Hall food science book. Springer US. pp. 215–217. ISBN 978-0-8342-1337-1. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  2. ^ Smith, Kat (March 8, 2017). "Gochugaru: The Hot, Sweet, Smoky Red Pepper Powder That is the Taste Behind Many Korean Foods". One Green Planet. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Hwang, In Min; Moon, Eun Woo; Lee, Hae-Won; Jamila, Nargis; Su Kim, Kyong; Ha, Ji-Hyoung; Kim, Sung Hyun (April 13, 2019). "Discrimination of Chili Powder Origin Using Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy". Analytical Letters. 52 (6): 932–947. doi:10.1080/00032719.2018.1508293. ISSN 0003-2719. S2CID 104575810.
  4. ^ Romero-Dávila, E.; Miranda, J.; Pineda, J. C. (October 1, 2020). "X-Ray fluorescence analysis of Mexican varieties of dried chili peppers". Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 93: 103592. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103592. ISSN 0889-1575. S2CID 224894119.
  5. ^ Brown, Alton (August 18, 2004). "AB's Chili Powder Recipe". Good Eats. Food Network. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
  6. ^ Bradshaw, Eleanor (June 1997), How to Make Your Own Chili Powder; or, Some Like it Hot, Texas Cooking Online, Inc., retrieved September 11, 2007
  7. ^ DeWitt, Dave; Gerlach, Nancy (2003), "Chili Conquers the U.S.A.", The Great Chili con Carne Project, Fiery-Foods.com, archived from the original on September 15, 2007, retrieved September 11, 2007
  8. ^ Massey, Sarah (March 1, 1997). "Man Who Invented Chili Powder". The Pierian Press. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  9. ^ "Inside the Spice Cabinet: Chili Powder". Kitchn. Retrieved February 9, 2022.

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