Chili powder is a fiery-hot spice used to add flavor to salads, sauces, and vegetable and meat dishes. By mixing it in with other ingredients, it is possible to offest the spiciness of the cayenne pepper it often contains.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Chili powder (also powdered chili, chile powder or chilli powder) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (also sometimes known as chili powder blend). It is used as a spice to add pungency or piquancy and flavor to dishes. In American English the name is usually spelled "chili". In British English the spelling "chilli" (with two "l"s) is used consistently.”
Composition:
“Chili powder blend is composed chiefly of chili peppers and blended with other spices including cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and sometimes salt. The chilis are most commonly either red chili peppers or cayenne peppers, which are both of the species Capsicum annuum; many types of hot pepper may be used, including ancho, jalapeño, New Mexico, and pasilla chilis. As a result of the various potential additives, the spiciness of any given chili powder is variable.”
History of commercial blends:
“Chili powder is sometimes known by the specific type of chili pepper used (such as cayenne pepper). It is used in many different cuisines, including Tex-Mex, Indian, Chinese, Thai, and Korean.”
“Chili powder blends are especially popular in American cuisine, where they are the primary flavor ingredient in chili con carne. The first commercial blends of chili powder in the U.S. were created by D.C. Pendery and William Gebhardt for this dish. 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, which became available in 1894.”
Culinary uses:
Translated from “gewuerzkarawane.de/chilipulver”: “Chili powder is mainly used in American, Mexican, and Spanish cuisines, but can be found in most spice racks in European and American households. It works well to add flavor to meat, fish, and vegetable soups; marinades; pickled dishes; egg dishes; gulash; steak tatare; vegetable dishes; and salads with beans and bell pepper. It is also often used in chili con carne. Chili powder is said to have been invented by British settlers in Texas, who used it to season a Mexicn meat dish in 1835. At that time, the blend most likely contained only cayenne pepper and oregano. Since it originated from South America, the Aztecs probably used chili powder.”
Storage:
“Like most spices, chili powder should be stored in an airtight container, in a dark, cool, dry place. If it contains a high percentage of herbs, then it should not be stored for too long.”
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