When talking about a bowl of red you are not only speaking of a bowl of chili but also about controversy that has been around for decades. Just the word chili brings controversy to this delicious meal. Why call it chili when it’s a warm delicious food that eaten mostly in the dead of winter?

What is a bowl of red? The answer to that question depends on what part of the United States you find yourself in? Most chili includes ground beef, beans, onions, tomatoes, chili powder and tomato juice. Pretty basic until you travel around to some of the best chili spots in North America You will discover how people have added and removed some of those ingredients to create a huge variety of the dish and a large part of the controversy.

Texans are great fans of chili. Their chili is as hot and spicy as any around. Stew meat is often found in southern chili instead of ground meat. These types of chili also include cayenne pepper. The hotter the red, the better the red is the motto for most chili experts. It can be hard to find a bean in any Texas chili.

5-Way chili is the norm in Cincinnati, Ohio. There bowls of red contain ground meat, spaghetti noodles, beans, onions and cheese. Other cities have tried to improve this chili by adding different spices along with tomatoes. These improvements have given their bowls of red the distinction of being called the five alarm chili.

For most Americans a bowl of red contains whatever we can find to put in the pot. Some prefer very basic chili, while others work hard to refine their chili until it’s perfect. These recipes are a most guarded secret making chili even more controversial.

Some chili has even been known to contain corn and bits of potatoes. Some chili dishes include ground pork or ground turkey instead of ground beef. Most chili contains onions and tomatoes, but vary on the other types of vegetables included. There are chili beans in some, kidney beans in others and still some who combine both types of beans. There are even versions of chili made with chicken and white beans, which is known as white chili.

Most chili contains tomato juice. V-8 juice has become a popular replacement for plain tomato juice. With the different varieties of V-8 juice now, some chili experts shy away from adding extra spices. There are chili’s made with wines, beers and even a few that contain orange juice.

Peppers have also found their way into many chili recipes. Bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and hot chili peppers are often added to give color and taste to the best recipes. It is also said a pinch of sugar (brown or white) can be added to remove the acid found in many tomato based chili recipes.

Americans are so proud of their chili that many areas have a chili cook off contest. These cook offs bring in chili of every kind. Tasters must choose the best pot of the bunch. To be the chili king or queen is a characteristic carried by many and held in the highest regards in some areas.

No matter where you are from or what you put in your chili, it is sure to bring on a few doubtful taste buds, especially among fellow cooks. According to the diehard chili makers no one can concoct a chili that is better than their own, no matter how much they consume. Try making your own version of the best chili around. It just takes a little imagination and often times a liking for the hot and unknown. No matter what you put in that chili pot it is sure to fight off the chill of a cold winter day.