Spicing Up Your Kitchen

U.S. Army troops have been chowing down on chili since the 1846 war with Mexico. But the army’s official chili recipe was not published until 1896 in its The Manual for Army Cooks, says John Thorne, chili scholar and e-zine publisher at outlawcook.com. Labeled “Chile Con Carne,” the recipe calls for round beefsteak, one tablespoonful of hot dripping, two tablespoonfuls of rice, two large, dry red peppers, one cup of boiling water, a half pint of boiling water and salt, onions and flour