Texas designated chili as the official state dish in 1977. Texans claim that chili originated in their state. Other rivalries between states involve recipes (of course), but even semantics - New Mexicans use "chili" to describe the plant, the pod, and various dishes made with chili peppers (see New Mexico State Vegetables - chili and frijole), while to Texans, the word "chili" is a very specific culinary dish. Texas legislature proclaimed chili the official state dish "in recognition of the fact that the only real 'bowl of red' is that prepared by Texans."

Bowl of Texas chili - photo © loveberry / hitomi on Flickr -
noncommercial use permitted with attibution / no derivative works

Chili is of Tex-Mex origin (from the American southwest, Tex-Mex food is a combination of American Indian and Spanish cuisines). Although some chili recipes are bean-less, most people consider them a main ingredient of chili. Two other foods that are key ingredients in chili are also official symbols of Texas : onions and peppers.

Like corn, native beans (or frijoles in Spanish), were a staple eaten daily by the Indians of the Southwest. Kidney beans, tepary beans, or black beans (common in Mexico) were used for early chili recipes - pinto beans are now the popular choice. The pinto and lima bean were being cultivated in the Aztec and Inca cultures more than 5,000 years ago.