chilli con carne

[bingbong1]

what is the point of adding chilli beans to chilli con carne

[drchasuble]

Do you mean kidney beans?

Most likely they were added to the traditional dish to bulk it out. Much in the same way that Victorians added oysters to a lot of dishes in the 19th century. Oysters were ten a penny but meat was quite dear.

[BBWCHATT]

Binbong - if you click on this link it will tell you all about it - it is too long to fit in a post - I will include a portion of it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilli_con_carne

Pinto beans (frijoles), a staple of Tex-Mex cooking, have long been associated with chili and the question of whether beans "belong" in chili has been a matter of contention amongst chili cooks for an equally long time. It is likely that in many poorer areas of San Antonio and other places associated with the origins of chili, beans were used rather than meat or in addition to meat due to poverty. In that regard, it has been suggested by some chili aficionados that there were probably two chili types made in the world, depending on what could be afforded and how frugal the cook was. As chili spread east into areas where beef was more expensive (beef was plentiful and cheap in San Antonio and other cattle towns), chili with Pinto or other beans became more prevalent. In some eastern areas, this dish is referred to as "chili beans" while the term chili is reserved for the all-meat dish. Other changes included the adding of other vegetables. Tomatoes are almost always used, bell peppers are common and even celery appears in recipes. Many easterners are just as adamant about the inclusion of beans in their chili for an authentic flavor as a small, vocal minority of Texans are about their exclusion. Most commercially prepared canned chili includes beans. If you substitute chunks of fresh mushrooms for the beans, you will cut the calorie content of your favorite chili recipe by at least a third, without sacrificing taste. The blandness of the white button mushroom soak up the flavors of the chiles, tomatoes, chili powder, etc. while helping the chili retain its consistency. Some cooks prefer black beans, black-eyed peas, or kidney beans instead of pinto beans. A popular saying among self-pr

[BBWCHATT]

It cut this part off.......

A popular saying among self-proclaimed chili purists is "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans".

[heathfield]

The very name 'chile con carne' means 'chili with meat' You're adding meat to the beans, not the other way round.

[glenis]

ok .i'm going to say it - cos if you didn't you would have a plate of con carne !!!! ;-)