Chilli questions

Quoted message said:

In the American Southwest and in the Chile-Heads (people
who love hot peppers) community, the accepted spellings
have become "chile" for the pepper, and "chili" for the
soup or stew. "chilli" isn't used at all. Dictionaries
aren't the definitive answer, as their meanings and
spellings are derived from common usage.

Bob is correct in that dictionaries are necessarily
historical. The spelling 'chile' for anything but a country
in South America has bloomed very recently, but seems to be
outgrowing the others.

I think the dictionary I quoted reflected dominate usage 30
or 40 years ago.

I admit I never saw 'chilli' until this discussion.

However, The OED (1928) has chilli, and chilly as English
forms, referrs to spanish chile, chili, and Mexican 16th c
native chilli.

Of course the latter assumes Mayan written in a Roman
alphabet. I am not sure how that can be independent of
Spanish, but I am not a linguist.

Southwestern US usage probably has a lot of Spanish
influence.

Old habits die hard, especially for old geezers. I will
probably continue to use "chili" automatically for both soup
and the pepper.

Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

Ask not with whom the buck stops . . .

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In the American Southwest and in the Chile-Heads (people
who love hot peppers) community, the accepted spellings
have become "chile" for the pepper, and "chili" for the
soup or stew. "chilli" isn't used at all. Dictionaries
aren't the definitive answer, as their meanings and
spellings are derived from common usage.

Bob in New Mexico

Agreed - but the usage of a small group of enthusiasts
in a limited geographical area hardly constitutes
"common usage."

Quoted message said:

--
Peter Aitken

I'd hardly call the Chile-Heads a "small group of
enthusiasts". They are found all over the world and they
travel all over the world to find chilies that are hotter
and hotter. I do not profess to understand them. How much
flavor is there when its melting the enamel off your teeth?

And, as for New Mexico, they grow the best green (aneheim)
chilies there is so I think their voice counts quite a bit.
But, admittedly, I'm biased. My wife is from NM and being in
NM in September will definitely let you know Chile is in the
air. Very fragrant when everyone is outside roasting them.

But, that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. ;->

Bret

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In article <[email hidden]>, Rodney Myrvaagnes

Quoted message said:

I admit I never saw 'chilli' until this discussion.

However, The OED (1928) has chilli, and chilly as
English forms,

Yes, whenever I see "chilli" on this group, I look for a
"uk" in the address.

--
Dan Abel Sonoma State University AIS [email hidden]

Rodney Myrvaagnes said:

Quoted message said:

In the American Southwest and in the Chile-Heads (people
who love hot peppers) community, the accepted spellings
have become "chile" for the pepper, and "chili" for the
soup or stew. "chilli" isn't used at all. Dictionaries
aren't the definitive answer, as their meanings and
spellings are derived from common usage.

Bob is correct in that dictionaries are necessarily
historical. The spelling 'chile' for anything but a
country in South America has bloomed very recently, but
seems to be outgrowing the others.

It's more common in the Southwest I think, but not a recent
usage there.

Quoted message said:

I think the dictionary I quoted reflected dominate usage
30 or 40 years ago.

I admit I never saw 'chilli' until this discussion.

That's more a British or Anglo-Indian spelling.

Quoted message said:

However, The OED (1928) has chilli, and chilly as English
forms, referrs to spanish chile, chili, and Mexican 16th c
native chilli.

Of course the latter assumes Mayan written in a Roman
alphabet. I am not sure how that can be independent of
Spanish, but I am not a linguist.

Southwestern US usage probably has a lot of Spanish
influence.

Of course.

Quoted message said:

Old habits die hard, especially for old geezers. I will
probably continue to use "chili" automatically for both
soup and the pepper.

Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

LOL that's fine. Here in NM, 'chile' is the official
spelling. But as you don't live here, it doesn't matter.

Maverick said:

And, as for New Mexico, they grow the best green (aneheim)
chilies there is so I think their voice counts quite a
bit. But, admittedly, I'm biased. My wife is from NM and
being in NM in September will definitely let you know
Chile is in the air. Very fragrant when everyone is
outside roasting them.

But, that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. ;->

Bret

We don't grow Anaheim chiles in New Mexico. The Anaheim is a
weak- flavored deheated mutated New Mexican chile cultivar
that is usually grown in California. Its ancestry is
definitely New Mexican, though.

Maverick said:

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In the American Southwest and in the Chile-Heads
(people who love hot peppers) community, the accepted
spellings have become "chile" for the pepper, and
"chili" for the soup or stew. "chilli" isn't used at
all. Dictionaries aren't the definitive answer, as
their meanings and spellings are derived from common
usage.

Bob in New Mexico

Agreed - but the usage of a small group of enthusiasts
in a limited geographical area hardly constitutes
"common usage."

Quoted message said:

--
Peter Aitken

I'd hardly call the Chile-Heads a "small group of
enthusiasts". They are found all over the world and they
travel all over the world to find chilies that are
hotter and hotter. I do not profess to understand them.
How much flavor is there when its melting the enamel off
your teeth?

LOL! No, consumers of chiles (who aren't all chile heads)
are hardly a small group of enthusiasts.

Quoted message said:

And, as for New Mexico, they grow the best green (aneheim)
chilies there is so I think their voice counts quite a
bit. But, admittedly, I'm biased. My wife is from NM and
being in NM in September will definitely let you know
Chile is in the air. Very fragrant when everyone is
outside roasting them.

But, that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. ;->

Bret

Anaheims are a mild travesty LOL! But NM does produce mild
chiles for export. But there are a lot of other varieties of
long green chiles that are not mild in the slightest,
although of course not as hot as habaneros etc.

Here are the experts: chilepepperinstitute.orgchilepepperinstitute.orgOpen ↗

Dan Abel said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Rodney Myrvaagnes said:

I admit I never saw 'chilli' until this discussion.

However, The OED (1928) has chilli, and chilly as
English forms,

Yes, whenever I see "chilli" on this group, I look for a
"uk" in the address.

One of the popular brands of canned chili in the US is
Chilli Man. According to the original owner, that's how they
spell it around Springfield Illinois.

Brian Rodenborn

On Fri, 14 May 2004 10:48:28 -0700, [email hidden] (Dan Abel)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I admit I never saw 'chilli' until this discussion.

However, The OED (1928) has chilli, and chilly as
English forms,

Yes, whenever I see "chilli" on this group, I look for a
"uk" in the address.

Why? I'm not from the UK.

BubbaBob said:

Maverick said:

And, as for New Mexico, they grow the best green
(aneheim) chilies there is so I think their voice counts
quite a bit. But, admittedly, I'm biased. My wife is
from NM and being in NM in September will definitely let
you know Chile is in the air. Very fragrant when
everyone is outside roasting them.

But, that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. ;->

Bret

We don't grow Anaheim chiles in New Mexico. The Anaheim is
a weak- flavored deheated mutated New Mexican chile
cultivar that is usually grown in California. Its ancestry
is definitely New Mexican, though.

True, but according to the Chile Pepper Institute, NM does
grow 'mild' green chiles. But mild is relative of course.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 10:48:28 -0700, [email hidden] (Dan Abel)

Quoted message said:

Yes, whenever I see "chilli" on this group, I look for a
"uk" in the address.

There's over 1million references to "chilli" on google.
Cranted, there's over 5 million for "chili", but the latter
is used to describe a dish and a fruiting plant.

1/5th of the people calling it Chilli is still enough
to make it common usage enough not to be arguing
about it here.

-sw

Arri London said:

True, but according to the Chile Pepper Institute, NM does
grow 'mild' green chiles. But mild is relative of course.

The mildest NM-grown green is probably 5 times the Scoville
rating of a California-grown Anaheim.

Blair P. Houghton said:

Chile: a pepper Chilli: alternate for chile Chili: meat
and chile spice Chilly: colder than cool

So, does anyone know the derivation of the term? I mean, I'm
curious, did somebody ask, "Are those hot peppers?" and just
get a smartass answer that stuck, or is there some other
origin for the name? Is it an Anglicized version of some
word from another language? My dictionary suggests it may
come from Nahuatl.

Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va.

Quoted message said:

Blair P. Houghton said:

Chile: a pepper Chilli: alternate for chile Chili: meat
and chile spice Chilly: colder than cool

So, does anyone know the derivation of the term? I mean,
I'm curious, did somebody ask, "Are those hot peppers?"
and just get a smartass answer that stuck, or is there
some other origin for the name? Is it an Anglicized
version of some word from another language? My dictionary
suggests it may come from Nahuatl.

It was probably Incan for, "Gotcha!"

Brian Rodenborn

Rodney Myrvaagnes <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob said:

Peter Aitken said:

By the way it is chili not chilli.

It's best not to be pedantic unless you are right. The
word is "chile". "Chili" is a stew made with chiles.

From the Random House unabridged, 2nd ed.:

Chili, n Pl chilies, also called chili pepper, the pungent
pod ofany of several species of Capsicum, esp C. annuum
longum used in cooking for its pungent flavor. {2,3} Also,
chile, chilli

So everyone is ok, but chili is preferred.

Not around here (Southern California, where a lot of chiles
are consumed). Always "chile" for the vegetable, and the
strain usually (but not always) follows: "chile pasilla";
"pasilla chile" looks weird. (Also, the "pasilla" chiles in
California are more likely "ancho", but nobody seems to be
too concerned with this.)

Also "chile" for dishes made with chiles: "chile verde",
"chile colorado", etc. I've seen both "chile con carne" and
"chili con carne", with the latter occurring more often on
Americanized versions of this dish.

--
Chris Green

Default User said:

Quoted message said:

Blair P. Houghton said:

Chile: a pepper Chilli: alternate for chile Chili: meat
and chile spice Chilly: colder than cool

So, does anyone know the derivation of the term? I mean,
I'm curious, did somebody ask, "Are those hot peppers?"
and just get a smartass answer that stuck, or is there
some other origin for the name? Is it an Anglicized
version of some word from another language? My dictionary
suggests it may come from Nahuatl.

It was probably Incan for, "Gotcha!"

Aztec, actually. It's derived from a Nahuatl word like
rank's dictionary says. The multiple spellings likely arose
from the fact that Nahuatl wasn't written phonetically.

Pepper meant the black (or green or pink or white)
peppercorn spice from south Asia before the Conquest. I've
read the misapplication of the name to chiles was something
of an attempt at spinning the sad error of Columbus who
didn't find India, but rather other "Indians."

modom

BubbaBob said:

Arri London said:

True, but according to the Chile Pepper Institute, NM
does grow 'mild' green chiles. But mild is relative of
course.

The mildest NM-grown green is probably 5 times the
Scoville rating of a California-grown Anaheim.

That's likely to be true of course. A few years ago my
mother bought some chile plants labelled as 'Anaheim'; she
is a chile wimp. She showed me the photos of what grew:
habaneros LOL! Fortunately she didn't try to eat them....

JimLane said:

Seems a lot of folks here are not getting the chilies they
want from store-bought seeds or plants. Others have said,
just get a chili you want from the market and use the
seeds from that. Makes perfect sense. Haven't heard anyone
complain about a different chili growing.

That's not likely to work. Most produce in the stores are
from hybrid plants and what grows from the seeds are
different. Now if you are getting an heirloom variety, then
the seeds will probably breed true. Not to mention that if I
were going to raise chiles, I wouldn't want those watered-
down ones they have in the stores these days.

Brian Rodenborn

Arri London said:

That's likely to be true of course. A few years ago my
mother bought some chile plants labelled as 'Anaheim'; she
is a chile wimp. She showed me the photos of what grew:
habaneros LOL! Fortunately she didn't try to eat them....

That's hysterical. It's like ordering a beer and getting
served liquid LSD.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot)
com

Arri London said:

BubbaBob said:

Arri London said:

True, but according to the Chile Pepper Institute, NM
does grow 'mild' green chiles. But mild is relative of
course.

The mildest NM-grown green is probably 5 times the
Scoville rating of a California-grown Anaheim.

That's likely to be true of course.

For storebought, but not necessarily home garden grown. I've
grown Anaheims from both nursery plants and seed for years
here in sunny SoCal, and the heat varies from year to
year...none seriously hot, but some years they have
respectable heat. Weather and watering habits have a
significant effect on chile heat.

Quoted message said:

A few years ago my mother bought some chile plants
labelled as 'Anaheim'; she is a chile wimp. She showed me
the photos of what grew: habaneros LOL! Fortunately she
didn't try to eat them....

Years ago I bought a six-pack of chile plants from a local
nursery. They were labeled chile negro, described as "long
black chile" and had a picture on the label of what looked
like a chilaca chile. I ended up with little, 1 to 1 1/2
inch long, upright oriented, jet black chiles with "hotter
'n hell" heat but very little flavor.

Rich

Default User said:

JimLane said:

Seems a lot of folks here are not getting the chilies they
want from store-bought seeds or plants. Others have said,
just get a chili you want from the market and use the
seeds from that. Makes perfect sense. Haven't heard anyone
complain about a different chili growing.

That's not likely to work. Most produce in the stores
are from hybrid plants and what grows from the seeds
are different. Now if you are getting an heirloom
variety, then the seeds will probably breed true. Not
to mention that if I were going to raise chiles, I
wouldn't want those watered-down ones they have in the
stores these days.

Brian Rodenborn

You can try telling that to the jalapenos that bush in my
mom's garden. You can tell that to the serranos that grow
at the other end. All from seeds from fruit brought at
the local Von's. Haven't tried habaneros yet, but
thinking about it.

Anything else?

jim