Chili

Chili falls clearly within a Hispanic food tradition. Peppers and masa trace their use to Mexico. In 1842, when Sequoyah and a contingent of Cherokees from the Cherokee Nation visited the Rio Grande Valley seeking survivors of the 1839 Texan-Cherokee War, the travelers were fed a fiery concoction of chunks of meat boiled with peppers. Food historians speculate that chili originated in Texas-Mexico border towns and spread north. In the 1880s San Antonio's downtown was famous for Hispanic outdoor vendors called "chili queens." At Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition Texas-style chili was popular, and at St. Louis's 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition the Mexican pavilion introduced other spicy foods. Afterward, proving the world's fairs' success in educating Americans, "chili parlors" appeared around the Midwest.