Organic San Antonio chili powder can be used in dozens of recipes. What we consider to be the best chili powders are those that have complex flavors with a sophisticated chile base, just like this one. 

 

What Inspired This Chili Powder

This San Antonio chili Powder was inspired by the legendary chili queens of San Antonio. This Texas city is rich in history and unique people who have an incredible love for the warm and inviting food that is chili.

As we get more organics in-house we can create new blends. Originally, this blend started out as an organic version of our very popular conventional Hill Country blend, but it eventually evolved into something new and we are glad that it did. The challenge with this organic blend was finding an organic option to the Chipotle "Morita" powder. We ended up using organic Anaheim and organic paprika for a flavor that is smoother than would be provided by some of our other organic chile powder options, and this is when the blend began to change. The different chiles gave the flavor of the blend a more unique quality than anything we had offered before, and it was definitely not Hill Country any longer. 

Our San Antonio Chili powder boasts deep flavor that is complex and spicy without being overbearingly hot. If you would like to try a hotter chili powder, give our El Paso Chili Powder (Hot) a try. 

 

The Origins and History of Chili

When it comes to chili, everyone has an opinion. Where did it begin? American food historians will tell you it is an American dish with roots in Mexico, but Mexican historians are quick to tell you they had nothing to do with it. 

Some say it started with a nun who could transcend the spirit world and throw her soul all over the world to spread the word of God to those who would otherwise have zero interaction. She was a Spanish nun who lived in the 1600s and her name was Sister Mary of Agreda. She claimed that on one of her spiritual journeys across the Atlantic Ocean to preach to the Native Americans about the Lord, her spirit wrote down the first recipe for chili con carne. Her recipe consisted of venison, chile peppers, onions and tomatoes. 

Some people argue that the people from the Canary Islands who immigrated to the San Antonio area in the 1720s mixed meats with local chiles and onions for different kinds of chili combinations, and that they were the first to create the dish.

Despite all the debate about when it came to be, there is written documentation of the food that is the definitive first reference to chili on paper. That comes in the words of J. C. Clopper who lived near Houston and talked about chili not in name but as a meal made by poor families of San Antonio; "When they have to lay for their meat in the market, a very little is made to suffice for the family; it is generally cut into a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat--this is all stewed together." He wrote this during 1828 during a trip to San Antonio. 

What is certain in the history of chili is that in the 1880s, women in San Antonio, known as "chili queens," were making bowls o' red at chili stands. These ladies were serving up chili for ten cents a bowl to everyone from the poorest of poor to the likes of O. Henry, the famed American author. They often served their signature dish with just a piece of bread and a glass of water. The fame of their chili spread and was soon bringing in tourists. 

1893 marked the year that chili made its way to the World's Fair. Hosted in Chicago that year, the fair was home to the popular San Antonio Chili Stand.

During the Depression era, many people felt that chili was the difference between starvation or satiation. The food was rich and filling, and often came with free crackers or bread and water. The spread of chili joints all over the United States helped people survive this horrible period in American history. 

Today chili remains popular all over the United States, but particularly in its home state, Texas, where it has been the state food since 1977.   

 

Do Beans Belong in Chili?

The beans in chili debate is super-heated, and that's saying something. Chili is short for "chili con carne" which translates to chile with meat. It is described as a liquified dish of both meat and chiles. Some people insist that because there is no "y frijoles" at the end of the name "chili con carne" that intrinsically there are no beans in the dish. Texans are adamant about keeping beans out of their chili. Others insist that the beans add a texture all their own to the chili and are necessary for the proper chili experience. Really, one can prepare their chili to their own personal tastes because all kinds of chili are good kinds of chili. 

 

What is the Difference Between Chili and Chile?

While chile and chili are often referred to interchangeably in the United States, they are two different things. Chili is the warm, thick dish of meats and chiles while chile is what consumers refer to as the "chile pepper." On another level, chili powder is often a blend of things to use in the dish, while chile powder is simply the powder produced by grinding "chile peppers" and nothing else. 

 

What is in this Chili Powder?

Our Organic San Antonio Seasoning is made from organic paprika, organic Anaheim chile, organic onion, organic ancho chile, organic cumin, organic garlic, organic Mexican oregano, and organic allspice. This is hand blended and best of all, salt-free. 

 

Flavor Profile

This blend is spicy without being too incredibly hot with a complex, deep profile. 

 

Where to Use

This seasoning can be used in chili, in rice dishes or as one customer has suggested, it makes a good rub for beef brisket. 

 

Helpful Hints

We have other conventional chili powders for a wide range of flavors to satisfy any palate. There's the everyday  Mild Chili Powder and the the spicy Chile con Carne.

 

Read More

The Best Peppers for Chili
A Complete Guide to All Things Chili
What Are The Best Chili Spices?
Flavor Characteristics of Spices