I want you to know a little bit about the history of
chili before I tell you my favorite family story about OUR chili! Chili is a concoction of the Southwestern
United States, probably more specifically West Texas.
My favorite legend regarding the origin of chili is a
Southwestern American Indian story about a beautiful nun who shared a recipe in
the 17th century. Sister Mary of Agreda was in Spain. She was a
mystery to the Indians, but was known as “La Dama de Azul” … the lady in
blue. Sister Mary went into trances for
days at a time and she would tell that her spirit went to faraway lands where
she preached Christianity to natives and encouraged them to look for the
Spanish missionaries. Sister Mary shared a recipe for a stew that included
venison, antelope meat, onions, tomatoes and chili peppers.
What is so mysterious about this legend? Sister Mary never left Spain. The recipe she
shared was one she learned from American Indians. King Philip IV of Spain and Spanish
missionaries (in America) were convinced that she was the lady in blue.
The lady I want to tell you about is my mother. When she was a young bride, she and Daddy
lived in a tiny apartment. They shared a
bathroom with another apartment, but they had their own wood burning stove.
Mother’s cook stove also heated the apartment. There was no refrigerator.
Hamburger meat in 1940 was 20 cents a pound, but Daddy
was in a local grocery store one day and it was on sale for 20 cents for FIVE
POUNDS! Of course, he took advantage of
the deal and happily carried his bargain home to their little apartment! He had his appetite all set for a few days of
juicy hamburgers. You might be questioning their ability to keep the meat cold
without a fridge! It was wintertime and Daddy had created a box on the outside
of a window where they were able to keep their foods that needed refrigeration!
Because she came from a large family, Mother was an
accomplished cook. Because she was accustomed to cooking for several people,
her first inclination to use five pounds of ground beef was to make CHILI! Daddy came home from work, expecting
hamburgers and sat down to a bowl of chili.
There was nothing wrong with that, except that they had enough chili for
three families! That evening, Daddy delivered chili to a few other families!
I heard this story throughout my life. Daddy loved to tell it! What I didn’t know, however, was that the
little apartment they lived in was a place I visited regularly. It was on the second floor of a house that is
now used as the General John A. Logan Museum in my hometown. A couple years before he died, I was
delighted to be able to take Daddy to see his first apartment. Once again, he got to tell his chili story to
the museum employees!If you want to read more about the history of chili, visit What's Cooking America
If you are interested in the General John A. Logan Museum visitLogan Museum
