Traditional chili is supposed to be a tomato-pepper stew. The beans came later, a variant. Meanwhile, meat was hard to come by, meat is a luxury when you come right down to the origins of many dishes. Thus, the 'con carne' was added to the chili, with and without meat.
The chili you are familiar with is very Americanized. Traditional chili would more resemble stewed tomatoes your grandmother might have made, smashed up and spicy, with lots of peppers mixed in. No beans, no meat.
i beg to differ on sevral points, mah nigga..
chili IS an american incarnation.
chili HAD meat & chili peppers, other seasonings, etc. , originally.
no tomatoes (till later) & NO fucking beans....yes, i do add a can per 5 lbs. of asst. meat
it was born of cow-driving trail-dusters & their 'cookies'
http://www.socastee.com/chili/chili_history.htmli have won 1st & 2nd place at a local chili-fest, years back..
then they had faggot judges that were awarding top prize to douchebags with FUCKING CELERY, CARROTS, CORN & OTHER NON-CHILI-RELATED products , in their idea of chili.
i , luckilly wasn't carrying, at the time....
i haven't gone back
(oh, as a side bar, i talked w/ a judge one time, who said, "avoid # 4...we found a bandaid in it...(the public gets to sample the wares, at this chili-fest)
meat, meat, meat + chilis + small amounts of beans....i mail-ordered a variety of dried chili peppers & ground & mixed them to make my own chili powder w/ a former coffee grinder....i am a madman, when it comes to chili
i will post mah own recipe later..............
must go